Vulnerable Other
by Reizbar-Ookami
Summary: After a not-so-mutual mating, Seto and Joey find themselves alternating on eggshells. All Seto wants is a mate who cares, and all Joey wants is someone not Seto. Based on the chapter "V is for Vulnerability" from the story "ABC Kisses."
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Yes, this is based on the chapter V is for Vulnerability from ABC Kisses. Expanded much and detailed more. Just a warning ahead of time: There IS a rape scene in this chapter. That is all I have to say right now.

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Chapter 1

He didn't need a mate. He was doing just fine on his own; having a mate wasn't _necessary_ for him now. Despite what everyone said, he didn't need someone to _emotionally stimulate him._

At least, that's what Seto told himself.

Sighing, the brunet landed on the edge of a rocky cliff and sat down, tucking his wings back and out of the way. Resting his chin on his hand, he looked out on the forests below. _'Yami doesn't know anything about me. I don't need a mate. I've got Mokuba and that's all I need.'_

He knew that wasn't true, though. He desperately wanted someone to call his mate, to make love to, to have kits with. Eventually, his brother _would_ get his own mate and stop visiting as often as he did.

Seto blinked as he heard a long, low groan, then let his gaze drift straight down the cliff. The nearest outcropping was about three hundred feet down and very large. That probably explained why another dragon was strewn across it on his stomach, black wings spread to absorb as much heat from the sun as he could.

The brunet winced as a lance of heat shot through his chest, then continued to sear heat through his body with each pump of his heart. It was hot and it hurt, but all he could register was that that black dragon was _his_ and he had to claim him as such. He tried to squash the feeling, stomp it down so he didn't do something he'd regret, but the desire and warm, protective feeling he was being filled with was making him twitchy.

He didn't really understand; the last time he'd felt this warm, affectionate feeling was when he'd been spending time with Mokuba. He knew that was love, because it was his brother. So why was he feeling this way for a dragon whose name he didn't even know? He hadn't… he hadn't found his respective Other, had he?

He really hadn't thought he'd ever find his Other, since so few ever did. What was worse was that the dominant partner was the only one who ever knew when he had found the other piece of his soul, and it wasn't like he could just come out and say, 'hey, we're two halves of a whole, be my mate.' No, the submissive had to learn that themselves.

Seto gripped his head tightly, trying to force down the urge to claim the unsuspecting dragon as his mate. It would be wrong—he didn't even _know_ that dragon! Why? _Why was this happening to him?_

The boy below him stretched, body flexing and twisting to show lithe muscle underneath what surely had to be soft skin. The black, leathery wings fluttered then settled back down as his tail began to wave lazily back and forth, drawing attention to his cute little behind.

Damn that tail.

Seto felt his control snap, and he let out a dominant roar as he leapt off the edge of the cliff and began a sharp dive straight down to the outcropping his mate-to-be was laid out on. The blond turned over in surprise, eyes wide, only to let out a frightened shriek as the brunet dragon spread his wings to slow his descent just in time to keep from crushing him.

The smaller dragon snarled and reached up to claw at his shoulders. "What the hell, man! Get offa me!"

Seto snarled as well and used his tail to pin the blond's down before it could slap him off, reaching down to rip his pants open. The blond shrieked and began thrashing, but then the older dragon's strong white wings were forcing his down, and the brunet's pants were suddenly gone as well.

He began scratching and punching with new fury as the brunet began to pry his thighs apart, flames licking at the tips of his tongue and lips. "Stop it! Damn it, lemme go! I don't wanna mate with ya, just—h-hey, stop it!" His shrieks and squeals reached a higher pitch in panic as the brunet managed to spread his legs and he began desperately trying to thrash again, whining and keening helplessly as the larger dragon positioned himself to plunge into him. "No, please! No! I don't want this, please don't make me-!"

Seto snarled again and reached up to catch his wrists, slamming them down on the rocky ground as he used his knees to keep the trembling blond's legs splayed open. "_Mine!_"

"N-no! I don't wanna be your mate, please—" the blond exclaimed desperately, only to cut himself off with a gasp as the white dragon rammed into him.

He whimpered quietly and went limp beneath him, all the fight draining out of him as he felt the other dragon's shaft fill him, making him his dame. It didn't hurt too much—he had been touching himself down there earlier that morning with his tail, which was quite a lot bigger than the other dragon's cock—but that didn't matter. This strange dragon that he _didn't know_ had just come out of nowhere and claimed him, and now—now he didn't have a choice over who his mate was going to be.

Seto leaned his face into the blond's neck and rumbled in approval, drawing out of him before snapping his hips forward again. Hearing a smothered yelp, he growled again and began humping him roughly. "_Mine!_"

The blond couldn't help bleating helplessly as the white dragon thrust directly into the spot that sent delicious fire up his spine and closed his eyes tightly. He didn't want to feel this pleasure, didn't want to enjoy being claimed in the slightest, but he couldn't help it. It just felt much too good having him hitting that spot, pounding into it repeatedly. And feeling pleasure just made him feel that much worse, so he began to sob and turned his head away.

The older dragon dragged his claws lightly down the blond's side, driving into his soft, pliant body quickly; he needed to claim his mate and get him home quickly, so no one would try and steal him. Vaguely, he realized that it wouldn't happen that way. However, he was too intent on making the smaller boy his to care.

The blond gasped as the larger dragon grabbed his shaft and began stroking it, then squeezed his eyes shut. "No-! No, no! Don't make me—I can't—Please don't—NYUUU!" He threw his head back and screeched as the brunet's hand began stroking him faster, forcing him to climax no matter how desperately he didn't want to. His body jerked as he came, stiffening as he released onto his stomach and chest and whimpering as the pleasure momentarily made him numb to the situation. Once again falling limp beneath him, he mewled as the larger dragon continued to pound into him.

Seto let out a roar of completion as well, ramming into the blond one last time before stilling and clenching onto him possessively. "_Mine!_"

"Ah… No…" The black dragon squirmed a little, pushing at his shoulders feebly, but he felt much too weak after his fighting and then being so roughly claimed. He mewled again as the brunet pulled out of him and turned onto his side, using his wing to shield his body from the larger man's intense gaze.

Seto stood up and tilted his head as he looked down at the trembling blond; the possessive fog was suddenly fading, and he was beginning to realize what he'd just done—and realizing that his actions were unforgivable to almost everyone of dragonkind, even himself. _'…I… am terrible. I'm a monster.'_ Well, he couldn't just leave him there after claiming him as his mate. Reaching for his pants, he idly wondered what would happen now that he was bringing the blond to his home. …He really expected his new mate to stab him in his sleep. However, he realized he deserved it, so he pulled up his pants, then reached down to pull the black dragon into his arms.

"Nn… Bastard… Don't even know your name…" the blond whispered, crying quietly. "'nd ya don't even know mine."

The larger dragon winced, then spread his wings and began flapping them. He let out a soft rumble as the blond curled closer to him and adjusted his grip so he could tuck his wings around himself to hide his body. He'd been so rough, so hard on him, he was probably sore. And he was right; he didn't even know his name.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto peered into his mate's room silently, frowning, as he absently turned the bowl in his hands. He'd given his new mate a pair of pants (a little too big, but the blond had demanded _something_ to keep his 'perverted rapist eyes off anything he might decide he wanted again') and had even gone so far as to allow him to have his own room, his own bed, on the other side of the castle from his own. It had been a few hours, and he assumed that his mate was hungry. He was just afraid to go into the room and disturb him.

Joey had been crying for hours.

Prying the name out of him had not been easy, but eventually, he'd gotten the quiet, defeated whisper of 'Joey.' Joey hadn't even asked for his name; he'd merely given it so he'd be able to 'damn' him properly, instead of screaming 'damn Rapist!' Using his name was a lot less painful than being reminded of what he'd done.

Seto took a deep breath before stepping into the room, tapping lightly on the doorway. The blond flinched a little but didn't make a move to uncover his head; instead, his wings pressed in just a little more, hiding more of his body from him. Seto sighed and let his gaze travel to his feet, feeling more ashamed than he ever had before as he heard the smaller dragon sob.

Deciding to just get out of his hair, he walked over to place the bowl on his nightstand. "…I hope you like beef stew." So saying, he turned and left the room, taking one moment to glance back inside.

He'd done everything he could to make the room homier, more comfortable for the other dragon, even going so far as to go to his own den and grab the scant amount of valuables and other items scattered about and placing them inside the room. Joey hadn't said thank you or anything, but he _had_ moved his things around, storing his small pile of gold and jewels in a corner and arranging his old cast iron lamps and brightly colored blankets and tapestries about the room attractively.

Seto heaved a sigh as he closed the door on the warm, lived-in looking room. Compared to the rest of the castle, the blond's room looked friendly and happy. He didn't want the cold loneliness of the rest of the castle to seep into his room and make him even more miserable than he already was. He just… he just wished that he could maybe have some of that warmth and happiness for himself.

His little brother had moved out only a few months prior, and he'd been left feeling alone and uncared for since then. …Perhaps it would have been better if he'd left as soon as he'd seen his Other. At least then he wouldn't have had to deal with the pain of knowing his mate hated him so much he wished him dead and having to feel alone even with someone living there with him. He felt more miserable now, knowing that he was alone despite having a mate and that it was solely his fault that his Other—the one he cared so much about—was angry and depressed.

Once he made it to his own room, Seto glanced around the sparsely decorated room sadly. There was nothing of much value in there, emotional or monetary. He had a large bed, true, but it was made out of roughly carved wood that hadn't quite been finished, and the mattress was filled with hay rather than bird down or wool. The blankets weren't necessarily pretty or useful, and most nights he still found himself chilled—though whether that was because he was lonely or because of the actual temperature of the room was hard to tell.

Aside from the bed, there was a large armoire that he kept all of his clothes in and a wooden chest to place his mementoes—the few that he had from before his parents died, and a few from Mokuba over the past years. He didn't often look at them—they reminded him that he was _alone_ and _lonely_ and _sad_—but it was nice to know that despite all of the jewels and gold he had, he _did_ have things that were more emotional in value than monetary. There was also a desk and a chair, but he really didn't use them, and that fact just made the room a little more depressing and lonely.

Seto sat down on his bed and sighed, then curled his wings around himself tightly and shuffled under the blankets. Knowing his mate was comfortable and warm made him feel at least a little satisfied that he'd done a good job as a sire. …But knowing that his mate was comfortable and warm in an entirely different room sapped all of the warmth out of the satisfaction and only served to make him bitter and angry with himself.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey sniffled and lifted a hand to wipe his eyes, then turned his head to look at the food that had been left for him. He had to admit that even though the brunet had taken him against his will, he was trying his damnedest to be a good mate nonetheless. He'd given him clothes when he'd demanded and had even acquiesced when he'd said he wanted a separate room on the other side of the castle without an argument, even though he looked like he wasn't happy with the prospect.

When he'd merely looked at the room he was offered with scorn, Seto had quickly offered to go to his den and get all of his belongings, which he'd coldly agreed to. He had felt a little bit guilty about his tone when the brunet flinched before quickly leaping out the window to do what he'd offered, even without knowing where he was going. He must have found where it was though, since it hadn't been too far from where they'd… mated. And he'd brought _everything_ over the course of four trips, from his largest cast iron lamp to the smallest piece of gold.

And then he'd left him alone to arrange his room, which he'd done and then collapsed on the bed, exhausted both emotionally and physically. He'd begun to cry helplessly, angry that his solitary life had been taken away so violently and even angrier when he'd realized that it had been by a white dragon—and the one that most females (and even a few males) pined for. He didn't want it! He hadn't wanted anything to do with him!

…But he'd left him some delicious smelling stew, thick with beef and potatoes and other delicious vegetables. So at least he was doing his job as a sire to keep him fed and comfortable.

NO, he was NOT going to appreciate anything that rapist bastard did! This was what a sire was _supposed_ to do! He was just doing what he had to because he'd claimed him; he'd tire of him later on and regret ever taking him! Well, he'd just bring that day closer and make him rue the day he decided to mess with him!

…But right now, he was going to relax on his nice, soft bed, and he wondered vaguely how many of the castle's mattresses were filled with bird down that Seto had actually gone to get one for him. It was incredibly comfortable. And the blankets covering it were soft and warm, with bright patterns strewn across them. He supposed it was just a perk of living in a castle and being one of the most desired dragons around.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto leaned his head against the doorway as he crossed his arms and frowned, then sighed helplessly. It hurt to come into the blond's room day after day only to find him either staring out the window wistfully or crying on his bed. Joey was his Other, and he was supposed to be taking care of him; obviously, he wasn't doing a very good job, and that just made him angry with himself for being unable to make the other half of his soul happy.

Leaving him alone had obviously not helped to make him happy, and neither had the small conversations he'd had with him. So perhaps being physical was the only thing he had left to try? …He didn't have anything left to lose, really…

He took a deep breath before walking over to his crying mate, trying to work up the courage to say something even though he would most likely get snapped at in response. When he couldn't think of anything to say, he hesitantly reached out to touch his shoulder. "…Joey?"

Joey snarled and flinched away from his touch, instead swinging his tail around to slap him away. "_Don't touch me!_" As an afterthought, he added, "And leave me alone!"

Seto didn't need to be told twice; he scampered out of the room before he could get his blood on anything and make the blond angrier, then hurriedly slammed the door shut, panting a little as he leaned against it. He looked down at the three cuts across his chest and whined in the back of his throat. He'd forgotten that the black dragon had spines going down his tail.

One of the cuts burned like no other, and the edges of the wound were already turning a sickening color of green. Joey must have had a poisoned barb at the end of his tail. He'd never had to deal with a dragon's poison before, but since many other dragons had brushed it off, he figured it couldn't be too bad. Some of them had even described the healing process as having a really bad cold, or a mild flu. Since he was young and generally fit, it shouldn't take too long for him to heal, right?

He already felt his stomach ready to heave. Staggering back to his room, he stumbled through the door and tripped over his own tail, tumbling to the floor pathetically. After that, he had only the strength to turn onto his stomach and wretch, purging his body of all that he'd eaten that day. He grimaced at the thought of cleaning up the mess, but then his stomach rolled threateningly, warning him that any unneeded movement would _not_ be looked on kindly.

Seto whined quietly as his body trembled with aftershocks, then shivered as he began feeling cold. He knew, rationally, that it was because he was beginning to get a fever, but still, his mind told him he was beginning to feel cold. Moaning quietly as his body began to ache, he crawled toward his bed, shedding his pants as he moved through the puddle of vomit before he weakly pulled himself onto the bed. Another whine escaped his lips as his already achy muscles protested but eventually rolled onto the uncomfortable mattress.

Curling up beneath the thin, scratchy blankets, he closed his eyes tightly and covered his head with a pillow to block out the light. He made himself the smallest ball he could, using his wings to keep a little more heat in. He still trembled from feeling cold, though, even with the fever, and he vaguely wished he had a mate that would cuddle with him to help keep him warm.

And then he remembered it was his mate that had hurt him, and he helplessly covered his head further with the blankets and one of his wings. If Joey didn't find out he was his Other soon, he'd either die of heartache or physical injury.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey scowled as his stomach rumbled and sat up, glancing around the room angrily as if it were the cause of his hunger. He was angry, but he was more confused; he didn't know why his… _mate_ hadn't brought him any food. Seto was usually so good about bringing a meal in for him at just the right times, as if sensing he was hungry. Was this punishment for slapping him with his tail earlier?

He felt his anger flare again at that; he should have expected it! It was all his fault! He should have realized that raping him would come back to bite him in the ass! And now he was shirking his duties as sire to keep his dame fed and comfortable?

Snarling angrily, he stood and left the room to search for his… mate. The term still made his blood boil. He hadn't _wanted_ a mate, hadn't been _searching_ for one, and now he was some stranger's dame! He ignored the voice in the back of his head that quietly pointed out he knew _who_ his mate was—the rich dragon that everyone seemed to want and yet he showed no interest in—and began searching each room.

He felt himself growing confused, however, when he found most of the rooms barren of everything; some weren't furnished, and few if any were carpeted. There were no curtains at the windows, no tapestries hanging from the walls; the only colors he saw was a spare jewel or coin here and there, as if the brunet's treasure had once been stored in the room but he'd moved it. Didn't Seto have any color in this giant fortress? Any furniture?

The closest he found to a comfortable room was the library, which had big, comfy looking chairs and thousands of books. Joey felt concerned; just what sort of dragon had he mated with? Why had he gone to all of the trouble of making sure _his_ room was warm, and lived-in, and bright and colorful when he obviously didn't care for it himself?

Sighing as he peered into another room, he nearly vomited when his sensitive nose was met with the most repulsive scent he'd ever had the misfortune of smelling. Looking down in confusion, he found a puddle of vomit on the floor, which the brunet's pants had been left in. It must have been left there for a while. Lifting his gaze, he found a bed on the opposite side of the room, and a trembling ball of blankets quivering in the middle of it.

Joey frowned, then stepped into the room, carefully avoiding the puddle of vomit as he moved toward the bed. He felt his stomach churn uncomfortably when he realized it was his mate, wrapped up in two thin blankets but still shivering from cold. He saw the cut on his chest—only one left from the former three—had turned a dark, ghastly green, and he realized belatedly that the other dragon must have never had the misfortune of dealing with a dragon's poison to build up immunity to it. He sat on the foot of the bed to ponder how to handle this problem but immediately sprang back up with a startled squeak.

Turning back toward the bed in surprise, he placed his hand on it, then sighed sadly. It was filled with hay. Seto had made sure his bed was full of soft, comfortable bird down—and judging by the fact that he'd seen no other furniture, the mattress had come from his bed. He'd taken the uncomfortable mattress for himself, had given up many of the brightest, warmest blankets for Joey's bed, and was freezing in a room on the opposite side of the castle.

And he hadn't complained once.

Joey gasped as the brunet suddenly lunged out of the bed and landed in a pathetic heap on the floor, taking a step forward instinctively to help him. But then the brunet was up, panting, and stumbling toward the window, and he obviously didn't want help. He struggled with the latch for a few moments before letting out a frustrated snarl, banging his fists against the glass angrily. When it only hurt him, cut open the skin on his hands and wrists, he turned and bashed his tail into it.

The blond could only watch in horror as the older boy slid through the hole, glass slicing into his sides and back as he spread his wings. Then he was falling, and the black dragon sprinted over to the window to see where he was. Luckily, Seto spread his wings in time to catch an updraft, so he wasn't crushed on the ground. He flapped his wings a few times feebly before catching a vent and gliding.

Joey hesitated only a moment before he carefully unlatched the window and leapt out, making sure to keep enough distance between the brunet and himself that he wouldn't see him. He frowned in confusion when he realized he recognized the area the brunet was flying toward. He found it hard to believe that Seto could know his friends, especially since Yami and Yugi were such good judges of character—

He gasped quietly as Seto headed straight for the ledge of his friends' den, but his landing failed; he couldn't even get his feet under him. Instead, he tumbled, rolled, and came to a stop in a pathetic heap with one wing askew in the air. He fluttered his awkwardly positioned wing helplessly, then whined, unable to find the strength to get up, or even position himself so the wing he was laying on wasn't causing him pain.

Yugi and Yami were out within moments, and then Yugi squawked and rushed back into the den to get some balms and poultices to help with the pain, ease his fever, and hopefully help his cut to heal faster. Yami rolled the brunet onto his stomach and hooked his arm over his shoulders to help him to his feet. The brunet whined and staggered but eventually forced himself upward long enough to stumble into the den.

Joey hovered a few moments before slowly gliding over to land on the ledge. Then, he edged his way over to the mouth of his friends' den to peer inside. Yami was helping the brunet to lie down on a mattress, and the larger man began to purr even as he moaned in pain. He melted into the mattress and sighed, curling his tail around to pat the other sire's shoulder in thanks. Then he passed out.

Joey stepped back and covered his mouth, unable to help the feeling of shame welling up inside him. Seto had given up everything, from warm blankets, to colorful tapestries, to even… even his comfortable mattress, and hadn't complained once. And he… he had just taken everything from him without question, had felt entitled to them, and had never once worried about what the other might have had to deal with.

Seto deserved a lot more appreciation than he'd given him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Seto let out a disgruntled whine as he shoved at the door to his castle; it hadn't felt so heavy a few days ago. Then again, he hadn't been recovering from poison a few days ago. He glared at the door angrily, then punched it in frustration. He immediately regretted it as the unforgiving wood cracked his knuckles and caused his hand to throb. His glare at the door became more venomous. Then, faced with no other choice, he sighed and spread his wings. He was still weak, but he could make it to his window; he just didn't want to deal with the broken glass and everything he remembered there.

Flapping violently, he hovered for a few moments before swooping up to his window, already beginning to sweat from the exertion. He hovered outside of his room and frowned in confusion; his window had been repaired. Who had done that? Why? And it was open, so he didn't have to worry about getting inside. Who would have been so kind-? Because his mate certainly wouldn't—_HIS MATE!_

Seto dove into his room and tumbled onto the floor, grunting as his still slightly sore body collided with the hard stone. "Ow! Fuck—Damn it—" Curses trailing off into snarls and growls, he huffed and struggled to his feet, but he'd used up all his strength on the flight home, and then trying to open the door, then getting up to his room.

He huffed a weak sigh and sank down onto the floor, feeling pathetic, weak—he was a bad mate. He had left his mate to fend for himself for days, had just abandoned him without a word. If Joey wanted to beat him around, he supposed he deserved it. He'd raped him, trapped him, and then abandoned him, and now he deserved nothing less than being slapped around until he couldn't get up—maybe never able to get up. And then Joey would be free again and he wouldn't have to worry about making his Other unhappy.

He flinched violently as he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and groaned loudly in pain; his achy, stiff muscles were too tired to move anymore. He couldn't protect himself. He couldn't protect his mate. He was weak. He was pathetic. He was a monster for ever forcing Joey to be his. He should have left as soon as he'd seen him and—

Seto moaned weakly as he was rolled onto his back and looked up, frowning in confusion when he found worried, sad red-brown eyes gazing at him. "…Joey…?"

Joey stroked his hair out of his eyes and offered a small smile. "…I worried while ya were gone."

The brunet let out a low moan and struggled to sit up. "Get you some food then—"

"No, no," the younger boy assured quickly, lightly patting his chest. "I can take care of myself while you're gone. But, are you… are you okay?"

Seto sighed and closed his eyes. "'m fine. I'll… I'll get you something to eat soon. I just need to rest a little."

"You just rest, then," Joey replied, then stood up and grunted as he lifted the older boy from the floor, frowning when the brunet let loose a loud whine of pain. Settling him on the bed, he examined him from head to toe—as he'd fled without any pants, and had come back just the same.

The ugly forest green around the thick gash had faded to a sea foam color around a thin cut, but the slices from the broken glass had healed while he'd been gone. There were bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept well, so he could guess that Yugi had been using some sort of herbal remedy to make him sleep. He had bruises on his shoulders and arms that looked like handprints, too, so he must have tried to leave; then Yami had physically held him down against his will until Yugi was able to force the herbs into his mouth. His mate had probably struggled until he was too weak from the drug and just passed out.

Joey frowned as the brunet shivered and curled his wings around his body, rolling slowly to face away from him, but he supposed the older boy wouldn't know what else to do. He hadn't exactly been receptive to his presence. Sighing, he stood up to grab the two thin blankets to pull over him, then frowned again when he felt just how threadbare they were; they might as well have been full of holes and they wouldn't have been less useless. He looked back at the brunet as he began to tremble, brows furrowing together.

Even though he was still sick, Seto had refused to ask him for anything, even for something as small as a blanket. Being mated meant they should have had a partnership, but Joey had done nothing to show how grateful he was for all Seto had given up for him. He'd given up a comfortable bed, warm, thick blankets, lots of pretty things for his room. He'd made meals for him, provided a roof over his head. Joey had only taken and taken and hadn't even managed to spit out a thank you.

Joey was disgusted with himself. Why had he not realized how badly he was hurting the other man when he was trying to make up to him what he knew was unforgivable? Seto must have realized that there was the possibility that he'd never forgive him, but he still persisted. He was so cruel to him, had even injured him to the point of illness, and had done nothing to care for him. He may not have deserved to be claimed so roughly, but… Seto certainly didn't deserve suffering from illness and not being cared for by the person he'd tried so desperately to please.

He was angry, but mostly because of his ignorance of the brunet's true unhappiness.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto frowned as he felt something damp and cool brushing against his forehead, then ducked back down beneath his blankets, nuzzling lightly into the warmth. His frown deepened. That wasn't right. He should have been cold, trembling, not warm and comfortable. Opening his eyes slowly, he was perplexed to find his mate sitting on the edge of the bed with a bowl in his lap, a washcloth in one of his hands. He looked up at him, licked his chapped lips, and tried to speak, but his throat was scratchy and dry.

Joey brushed his hair out of his face and sighed. "Don't try t' talk. You've still got a little bit of a fever. Ya shouldn't have strained yourself; you'd be healthy by now."

The brunet let out a displeased rumble; making the other boy take care of him would not win him any points. Joey would just resent him more now.

Joey huffed and glared at him for a moment before sighing and dabbing at his warm forehead. "At least ya got someone t' take care of ya. I didn't know you'd never had any contact with dragon poison before."

Seto sighed and let his gaze drift away in shame. He was probably making his mate very upset with him because of his feebleness and inexperience with dragon poison, making him hate him even more.

The blond frowned as the older boy looked away from him, then bit his bottom lip; even though he wasn't being mean, the white dragon was still feeling guilty for not being a good mate. "…I… I brought some blankets for ya. Ya looked a little cold." Apparently, that was _not_ the right thing to say, as the brunet curled up tighter and lifted his wing to cover his head. "Seto…"

"…'m sorry," Seto whispered weakly. "'m a bad mate."

Joey sighed and tilted his head, brows furrowing together in frustration. Maybe he'd hurt the other boy more than he'd realized; he was acting like everything that came out of his mouth was hurting him. He pulled lightly at the edge of the brunet's wing. "Seto, I need t' be able t' see your face."

The brunet didn't move for a few minutes, but eventually, he lowered his wing and sighed. "'m sorry."

"I said not t' talk," the black dragon reminded gently, dabbing at his forehead again. "At least until you've had somethin' t' drink. …I'll be right back."

Seto watched him go, then sighed again. He should be taking care of Joey, not the other way around. What was wrong with him, making his mate take care of him when he wanted nothing to do with him? He'd be lucky to get the blond to even speak to him after this! He groaned weakly as he felt tears forming in his eyes; he couldn't make his Other happy.

"I don't really know what sort of broth a sick person is s'posed t' have, but people are always talkin' about chicken, so I— Seto? Are you in pain?" Joey asked in concern, frowning when he saw a tear sliding down the brunet's cheek. He laid the back of his hand against the older boy's forehead. "Your fever's the same. Do ya hurt somewhere else?"

The brunet slowly shook his head and sighed again, forcing back any more tears. He just wanted to make Joey smile—even once!—and he would never be able to do that.

Joey eyed him skeptically, then sighed and sat down again, using his tail to help the brunet sit up. "Let's get somethin' inside ya; I'm sure you're hungry."

Seto sighed and stared at the bowl of hot chicken broth the blond was holding listlessly. He wasn't really in the mood to eat. But he'd humor him, if only to keep him from getting angry again. He tried to reach for the bowl, but was distressed to find his hand trembling, so he let out a confused whine and looked up at his mate in concern.

The blond sighed and grabbed his hand to gently place it back in his lap. "Don't worry, I'll feed ya. You'd probably spill all over yourself anyway." He frowned when the older boy flinched and looked away in shame, then looked down at his own lap. "…It's nothin' t' be ashamed of. Lots of people are weak after the first time they're poisoned."

"…How many people are watched over by mates who hate them?" Seto whispered, then turned his gaze on the blankets. How cold was the blond without them? Did he even sleep comfortably? That was just something else to add to the list of what the blond hated him for, he supposed.

Joey stared at him for a moment, stunned. He didn't… he didn't necessarily _hate_ him. He just… he just didn't like him right now! He was angry! He just needed time to cool down a little, and then he'd work on getting to know him!

Oh, who was he kidding? He'd done nothing to make Seto think he'd ever warm up to him. Not to mention that the brunet's mind had taken his disgust of him and twisted it into immediate disapproval. Nothing he did was right; he could only serve and hope for something that was not a glare or a snarl; he could never make up for the first time they met.

Sighing, Joey shook his head and turned to better face him. "Open your mouth."

Seto did as he was asked immediately, so as not to piss his mate off further, and couldn't help a pleased sigh as the warm broth slid down his throat, seeming to warm him up from the inside out. He ate obediently, trying to finish as quickly as possible, but the blond paused every few minutes to grab the washcloth and dab the sweat forming on his brow from his fever. He let his eyes flutter shut after a moment and leaned back against the blond's tail. He still felt extremely fatigued and weak.

The blond gave him a few more spoonfuls of broth before finally deciding he'd had enough. Setting the bowl on the bedside table he'd dragged in, he lifted his hands to brush the hair off the brunet's damp, warm face as he eased his tail out from under him, allowing him back into a lying position. "Get some more rest, Seto."

Seto purred weakly and lifted his own tail to gently curl around the blond's waist. He gave him a small squeeze before sliding his tail back under the blankets. His brows furrowed as he felt the blond's cool hand on his forehead, and he felt even more confused when he felt his other hand grasping his own. The hand left his forehead, but the one gently holding his did not. Instead, he felt the blond's thumb gently rubbing over the back of his hand in small circles. Despite not wanting to anger his mate, he couldn't help the corners of his lips quirking upward.

Joey couldn't help a smile of his own as the brunet's purr faded, but the small smile on his face lingered. He wasn't so bad, really. He just wanted a kind word, or a small show of approval. He supposed he didn't mind giving those to him after all he'd done for him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey jerked awake as he heard a roar, sitting upright in his chair as he looked around for the threat. It turned out he didn't need to worry about a threat, however, as he looked to the brunet writhing violently on his bed.

Seto was grabbing at his chest, sobbing helplessly as his shoulders and chest convulsed. He thrashed his tail and let out a pathetic whine, twisting and curling in on himself as he dug his claws into the healed, unblemished skin where the poisoned cut had been. His face twisted in pain as tears began forming in his eyes.

The blond grabbed his shoulders and forced him down onto his back. "Seto! Seto, calm down! It's okay!"

"Hurts—burns—so cold—" The older boy's chest jerked upward as he gripped the blankets tightly in his hands. He gasped in a wheezy manner and jerked his shoulders against the blond's hands weakly. "So cold—warmth—never be warm again-!" Seto screeched and surged against the blond's grip again. "Hurts—alone—always alone—stop hurt—please stop hurt—"

His back arched violently as he shook, body frozen in place for a few tense moments, before his muscles relaxed and he fell back to the bed bonelessly. His head fell to the side limply as his hands released the blankets, leaving red spots from where his claws had broken the skin and bled into the fabric as his fingers smeared blood from his chest across them.

Joey stared at him, still holding the brunet as if expecting him to start thrashing as soon as he let go. After a few moments, though, he allowed his grip to loosen. Then it hit him.

Seto had been asleep the entire time. It had been a _nightmare._ He'd been thrashing because he'd remembered the pain of when the wound had first been inflicted. He'd been alone to deal with something new and painful—scary.

He'd probably been terrified, not knowing why his body was reacting so strongly and why his wound felt so hot while the rest of him was shivery-cold. He'd tried to be strong, to muscle through the illness, but had eventually given up and struggled to Yugi and Yami's den to get help, because his mate was the one that had hurt him and obviously wouldn't want to take care of him.

Joey felt guilt forming in the pit of his stomach like a stone. Seto had obviously never experienced anything like this before, and had forced himself to stay silent through his own fear and suffering to keep from making _him,_ the _cause_ of his pain, angrier. That… that didn't seem fair, even to him, and he was still angry about the forceful mating. He should have at least taken care of him so he knew he'd be okay, instead of suffering and wondering if he might die—and if he did, then if he'd be alone.

That wasn't right, especially when Seto had only ever tried to serve him to the best of his abilities.

Sighing quietly, the blond grabbed the damp rag and dabbed at the sweat that had formed on the older boy's brow during the struggle. Once that was done, he lifted one of his hands and began cleaning the blood from his claws and palms. "Why do ya gotta stay so quiet?" he asked softly, frowning. "Why can't ya just get mad and demand that I appreciate ya like a regular sire, huh?"

He knew why, though. Seto believed he had no right to demand anything from him—and rightly so, at least up until this point. After all, he'd raped him, and Joey had wanted nothing to do with him.

But… he could have at least come to _him_ for help. Yes, he may have poisoned him, but if he'd known it had been his first experience with dragon poison, he'd have nursed him through it. …Not that he'd done anything to make Seto believe that.

Joey winced slightly at the thought. He'd figured that, with all of the other dragons pining after him, Seto would have had tons of fights on his hands from other jealous suitors and thus have experienced poison. Once he'd experienced it once, his body would have built up an immunity for it, and he'd have only felt a burning, sizzling pain until the wound healed over. He'd only wanted him to suffer for a little while for daring to touch him after raping him, maybe twelve or fourteen hours.

He hadn't meant to force him into bed for several days, alone and miserable and afraid. Joey remembered when he was a kit and had accidentally scratched himself with his own barb (a common occurrence, and usually expected for kits with poison barbs to make themselves immune to their own poison). His mother had watched over him for the week that he was bed-ridden, feeding him and making sure he got everything he needed while he was unable to fend for himself.

How hungry had Seto gotten? How _thirsty?_ How hopeless did he feel when Joey hadn't come to check on him? He probably thought that he didn't care, something that Joey saw now that he really _didn't_ need.

He hadn't heard anyone come to visit, hadn't sensed anyone else approach. His mate hadn't mentioned going to see anyone himself, and hadn't ever breached the subject of introducing him to his friends and family, which was something traditional and wasn't taken lightly, even if the mating was forced.

Joey could only conclude that Seto didn't _have_ friends or family, which seemed sad, because he had been one of the most eligible bachelors before they'd mated. Then again, he'd probably _never_ had friends, first from the customary isolation given to a dragon after a parent's death (both of his parents had died within months of each other) when he was only ten, and then keeping others at arm's length because so many people would just want the fortune he inherited or because he was just attractive enough for the shallower dragons.

The blond cringed at the thought of not having friends, as friendship had been the only reason he'd moved from his warmer climate up to this colder one; Yugi had suggested a vacant cave after he'd been thrown out of his parents' den. To think that the brunet had no one to depend on, no one to confide with…

Seto had said 'alone, always alone.' His sire was… _lonely._ And he probably wasn't helping with that, keeping him away and wanting nothing to do with him. Perhaps… perhaps maybe he should try getting to know him. He couldn't be too terribly horrible, insisting on making food for him while he himself had no strength to do so.

Joey waited until the scratches on his chest healed before wiping away the blood. His sire didn't need to feel any worse knowing that his dame had had to tend to him more than usual after his night terrors.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Seto, please—Ya don't need t' feed me—I can take care of myself!" Joey hovered over the brunet anxiously. It had taken a few days, but his mate had finally gotten well enough to move around for extended periods of time without risking sudden fatigue and falling into an ungraceful and more or less hilarious pile of cursing limbs.

And, now that he could, he insisted on feeding him like a good sire.

"I'm your sire. I'm _going_ to feed you." Seto scowled and glared at the cookbook he'd been using to properly feed his dame (_'Cooking for New Sires: Keeping Your Dame Happy,'_ under the chapter titled _Apology Food_). Unfortunately, he'd cooked through the entire chapter—and none of it had seemed to work! His mate still hated him and hadn't shown the barest hint of even _thinking_ about forgiving him—even just a little!

Gah, the 'apology food' was _useless._ Not to mention he had to make up for forcing his mate to care for him during his illness now, too! Perhaps he _had_ been a little too eager to get home, sending himself back into a fever, but could anyone really blame him for not wanting his mate to think he'd just _abandoned_ him after forcefully mating with him?

Because he knew his mate would never discover they were Others. The most he could hope for was… not-hatred. If he could just get Joey to look at him with not-hatred, forcing himself to be content would be much easier. Maybe he'd even grow used to the dull ache that kept his chest tight and the hollow coldness he was left with when he was lying in bed, wondering what his mate was thinking at that moment other than 'that fucking rapist bastard should die.'

Joey tilted his head when the brunet only glared at the page he'd opened the cookbook to, then frowned as his mate's glare faded into a forlorn expression. He watched for signs of weakness or fatigue, but then Seto stood up straight and shuffled around the large kitchen, grabbing pans and various foods.

The brunet began chopping and cooking and preparing listlessly, and the younger boy's brows furrowed together when he realized that his wings had wilted and were dragging on the ground. Was he feeling weak again? Was he tired? Did he need to sit down for a while?

He frowned again when the white dragon abruptly folded his wings upward and out of the way, using his tail to grab various spice jars and measuring spoons. So he wasn't weak or tired, then. That only left… defeated.

Why should Seto feel defeated? He was more or less healthy now, and could sleep through the night without letting out shrieks because of phantom pains from his chest, where the cut had healed but the brunet still had nightmares about trembling in his bed, alone, as his chest burned in a manner so new and so painful that he couldn't even cry.

Joey flinched. He had felt so horrified when he was startled out of his doze by his mate's frantic screams, and had felt so horribly guilty when he saw Seto still asleep and clutching at his chest that he regretted ever poisoning him, even if he _didn't_ want to be touched. No matter how hard he tried to get the brunet to relax, he thrashed until he wore himself out.

Hearing a crunch, he jerked his gaze back to his mate sharply, fearing he might have hurt himself again. He was relieved to see he'd only taken a bite of an apple. He blinked as the brunet turned and set a plate of spiced chicken in front of him, then looked up at his mate in concern. "Aren't ya gonna eat any of it?"

"Actually, I didn't start cooking until I brought you home." Seto crunched through another bite of apple. "I didn't like to bother that much with food, really. I stuck to things I didn't necessarily have to cook for my meals." He twisted his tail around to grab a banana with it. "I only started because I'd be a horrible sire if I didn't cook meals for you; I still prefer raw foods myself."

Joey swallowed the mouthful of chicken he had thickly, feeling guilty all over again. "…Ya don't… ya don't hafta go out of your _way_ for me—"

"Of course I do. You don't want to be here." The brunet peeled the banana and shoved it into his mouth, then tossed the peel into the compost bin with his apple core. "What sort of sire would I be if I didn't put effort into your meal, especially after I forced you to leave your own home? –A horrible one."

"But—" The blond cut himself off and frowned. "…Why do ya think you're a bad mate?"

Seto turned toward him and tilted his head, brows furrowing together in confusion. "…I just know I am, because you're not happy with me. I'm a bad mate because I can't make you happy."

It had become a basic fact to him, as if _everyone_ should know it and the only reason they didn't question it was because the fact was absolute; the grass would always be green, the sky would always be blue, and Seto would always be a bad mate.

The brunet let out an anxious whine as he saw his mate wasn't eating. "Is the chicken bad? I can make something else. I haven't really cooked chicken before—should I cook it a little longer for you?"

"…I'm sorry. I was just thinking." Joey shoved another bite of chicken into his mouth and continued speaking around it. "It'th actually vewy delicious."

Seto stared at him for a few moments, as if unsure he could believe him. Eventually, though, his expression softened into a hopeful smile. "You… you really like it?" When the blond nodded quickly, his hopeful smile melted into one of satisfaction and pride. "Thank you."

The black dragon blushed and turned his gaze away quickly. Because Seto was really pretty when he smiled.

Clearing his throat quietly, he looked back up at him and frowned. "I… I noticed that I haven't met any of your friends or family, though."

At that, the brunet's smile immediately fell. "…Oh. Well, I— …I don't really have an excuse for that," he stated quietly, rubbing the back of his head as his gaze turned on his feet. "…My family… The family that I have… My brother and cousin really think too much of me. …It's cowardice, I guess. I don't want them to be disappointed in me when I tell them that I… that I… forced you."

Joey blinked at him for a moment, stunned. For the sire to openly admit cowardice was unheard of where he came from, but if it did happen, it was usually just before the dames smacked them around for not being proper sires. He knew it was different up here—that dames didn't necessarily _punish_ their mates because they had not lived up to expectations—but he honestly didn't know what to do.

He couldn't just get angry because his mate had admitted to being afraid of his family's reaction to the news that their mating had been forced. He'd probably be a little nervous to tell his own family, too—if only because he knew his father would try to kill his sire in fury and his mother would be no help in trying to stop him. He didn't know much about Seto, but he did know that he really didn't deserve to die, no matter how much he'd hated him at first.

"…W-what about your friends? Shouldn't I meet your friends, too?" Joey asked after a minute, still frowning.

Seto looked back at him in confusion. Once the question registered, however, he turned his head away again. "…I don't really have any friends. Well, the friend I did have is technically my cousin now, too. I… I don't have a lot of people close to me. I'm sorry." The brunet sighed quietly. "I should have introduced you to them much sooner. Would you… would you mind if we waited a little while longer, though? It's not that I don't want to introduce you, I just…"

"It's okay." Placing his hand on the brunet's arm, Joey couldn't bring himself to be angry or annoyed with him when he saw just how conflicted he was. "If you're related t' Yami and Yugi, ya don't really need to tell them. I'll do it. And I won't even tell 'em that it was forced. They won't hafta know about that, okay?"

The white dragon took a step away from him and whined in confusion. "Why would you do that for me?"

The blond sighed. "…Because I don't hate ya nearly as much as I thought I did."

Seto bit his bottom lip, then hesitantly asked, "Do you think you'll ever… _not_ hate me?"

Joey looked up at him and offered him a small smile; his mate hadn't asked him for something impossible, like actually loving him at some point, because he doubted he'd ever be able to forgive him completely. He could, however, learn not to hate him. "That's a possibility."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Seto wasn't actually that bad. It had come as a great shock, but the blond was pleased to see that he'd been totally wrong about the older boy merely being a rapist pervert bastard who would soon regret having him as a mate. He was quiet, more of an introvert, and that explained his awkwardness; he was more at home in the library than in any other room, including his own bedroom. He'd also learned that he was almost lazy in his unflappable calm, eating raw foods or mooching off of his cousin and brother. It was actually sort of… heartwarming that he had only taken up cooking for _him_. In fact, the brunet was actually… starting to grow on him a little. But just a little.

Joey tilted his head, frowning, as he watched the brunet lugging a large bag of what sounded like gold or jewels toward the front door. "Seto…?"

Seto glanced at him momentarily before letting out a grunt and continuing toward the door. "Hmm?"

"…What are you doin'?"

"Mokuba has asked that I leave the remainder of his inheritance near the door so he may put it in his own den. He says his prospective mate is beginning to warm up to the idea of starting a family with him."

He didn't mention that Mokuba had found his respective Other, and was doing what he should have done for Joey, rather than raping him and stealing him away. Courting him probably would have made their mating so much better, rather than walking on eggshells all the time for fear of angering Joey into locking himself in his room. He wished… he wished he had Mokuba's self-control. He still felt badly for just taking Joey away from his home so carelessly.

"Oh. …Well, I guess I wish him luck with his prospective mate," Joey stated after a moment, frowning in confusion. "…You and Mokuba aren't very alike, are ya?"

Seto looked down at his feet as he gently set down the bag of riches. No, he supposed they weren't very alike. Whereas he had roughly and forcefully claimed his Other, Mokuba was slowly and charmingly courting his, drawing her in to wanting him naturally. Mokuba had always been more thoughtful about his decisions, had worked them through. Not that Seto didn't think carefully about what he wanted to do and the repercussions, but Mokuba always seemed to do it faster and without seeming like such an asshole.

Joey's tail twitched slightly. He had a feeling he'd just said the wrong thing again. "…Not that that's a bad thing! I mean, if you were exactly like each other, that would be sort of creepy!"

"…Had I introduced myself, would you have agreed to be my mate?" Seto asked quietly, not turning to look at him.

The blond looked away and frowned, wings twitching slightly in agitation. "…Probably not. I would have rather waited to find my Other."

Seto felt his heart twinge painfully. Why couldn't he see that he _was_ his Other? "…I see."

He shouldn't even hope anymore. Joey would die thinking that he'd lost his chance at finding his Other Half, and forever resent him for it. Why couldn't he see that he'd never just claim someone like that without a good reason? He wasn't that thoughtless. And he couldn't just tell him; that went against everything he'd been taught about finding his Other. …Why couldn't he see…?

Joey frowned and took a step toward him in concern. "…Seto? Are ya okay?"

Seto ran his fingers over the piece of twine keeping the sack closed, then nodded slowly. "I'm fine. …Thanks for asking," he muttered, then turned to walk back up the steps. "Mokuba should be here any minute. I have another sack to get. If he gets here and I'm still gone, tell him I'll be right back."

The brunet left at a higher pace than he normally did, the blond noticed.

Joey crossed his arms thoughtfully, brows furrowing together as he puzzled over what he could have said to upset him. So the older boy still flinched whenever he touched him sometimes, and he apologized for the smallest touches he may have accidentally made himself, but he'd thought that they'd at least learned to tolerate each other by now. But… Seto didn't like to be in the same room with him very long. He got uncomfortable a lot. He wouldn't meet his eyes most of the time. And, when he thought Joey was asleep, he'd come into his room and watch him for a while.

Joey flinched a little as he remembered the night before, when he'd finally confronted him. Seto had literally fled the room when he'd turned to look at him; he hadn't even gotten a chance to open his mouth and ask why he always came to watch him! Seto hadn't known whether he was mad, or upset, or just curious—he just ran before anything could be said!

…Joey had to admit that he had sort of deserved it, though. He had a really bad temper sometimes, and his mate had been on the receiving end quite a few times recently. One of the most recent blow-ups had concerned the brunet's inability to be assertive like a good sire should be despite how angry it would make his dame anyway; he'd fled the room then, too, and hadn't been back for hours—only to show up in time to leave some supper out for him, then disappear back into his room.

The blankets he'd brought him had been placed back on his bed, and after peering in on him one night soon after, he found Seto still shivering beneath his two blankets again. On his uncomfortable mattress. In his cold, lonely room on the other side of the castle. With his repaired but still sort of leaky window.

The only explanation Joey could come up with was that he was still punishing himself for forcing himself on him. And boy, was he doing a hell of a job of punishing himself. Joey almost felt sorry for him, and knew that he'd _never_ want the brunet mad at _him_—

"Who are you?"

Joey jumped and turned sharply, eyes wide as they landed on narrowed grey ones. He brought his tail around quickly in case he needed to protect himself and scowled. "Joey. Your brother's _mate._"

The younger boy blinked in surprise. "I wasn't aware that Seto was courting anyone. I didn't even know he was interested in getting a mate. He usually keeps to himself." Mokuba's eyes narrowed again as his silvery grey tail began lashing back and forth. "You're not just after our money, are you?"

"How _dare_ you—" the blond began angrily, the barb on the end of his tail beginning to secrete a little poison in his ire. "I didn't even know about your stupid money, you jerk! And even if I did I wouldn't 've—"

"You wouldn't have _what?_ Wouldn't have mated with him?"

"I didn't really have a—"

"Please… stop it."

At that, the two bickering dragons turned in confusion to find Seto coming back down the stairs with another bag. He looked tired.

Mokuba frowned in concern. "Big brother, are you alright?"

"…Just got over a flu bug. I'm fine," Seto sighed, walking over to place the sack beside the other. He decided it was in his mate's best interest if he didn't explain that his flu bug had actually been an injury involving his poison barb. "Don't pick fights with my mate. It wasn't about the money. And Joey, don't encourage him. He's young and looking for a fight; you're more mature than that."

"Hey!" The younger boy huffed angrily. "I wasn't looking for a fight—I was just trying to look out for you! I mean it's weird that I visit a few weeks ago and you tell me you don't want or need a mate, but then I come back today and you have one! It's not my fault!" He placed his hands on his hips and let out an angry rumble. "Jeez! Excuse me for caring! Why didn't you formally introduce us, anyway? Isn't that the traditional thing to do after you mate?"

The brunet dragged a hand through his hair and sighed quietly. "I know, I know. It's my fault; things were hectic after we mated, and then I got so sick… Joey had his hands full enough without the stress of meeting family. Just… I'm very tired, Mokuba. I need to rest if you expect me to come meet your potential mate tomorrow."

Mokuba frowned in concern. "If you can't come tomorrow, I can always ask her for a better time."

"No, I'll be fine," Seto replied softly. "I need to get out of the castle anyway."

"…Okay, if you're sure." The younger boy eyed him thoughtfully, then turned and grabbed the bags full of his inheritance. "If… _Joey_ wants to come too, I suppose he can. I'm sure she'd like to meet him too."

"That will be up to him."

Mokuba rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, whatever."

Seto watched him leave, then turned to look at his mate. "…Would you like to come, Joey?"

Joey frowned. It was the first time the brunet had ever asked him for something for himself, and he hadn't flinched, and he was looking him in the eye, and… and he had to tell him no. "I would like to, but… but I have somewhere else t' go tomorrow."

"…Oh." The brunet let his gaze drift away, then turned a small, sad smile back to him. "I understand. You must have had plans before I… And it would be unfair of me to ask you to break those plans. Will you be gone overnight, or is it just for the day?"

The younger boy shrugged uncomfortably. "I was hopin' t' maybe stay a few days."

"…I see. If I don't see you tomorrow, I hope you have fun," Seto stated, smile waning a little in what the blond could only describe as defeat. "And I'll expect you back in a few days. –There's a storm on the way, too. If it's storming out, could you stay there until it passes? I wouldn't want you to get hurt in a storm."

Joey felt guilt gnaw at his stomach as he watched the brunet walk away. He'd probably had to work himself up a lot to ask him that, and he'd seen his eyes glow with a little hope, like perhaps they could try to be real mates instead of a sire serving his dame. That hope had faded as soon as he'd said no, and he felt badly for that.

Hurrying after him, he caught the brunet's hand with both of his own and looked up at him, ignoring the flinch he caused. He needed to change the subject and make his mate content again. "Seto—I hafta ask—where didja get Mokuba's inheritance? I've wandered all over this castle and only found a spare gem or coin here and there."

Despite his want to not anger his dame, Seto snorted. "Of course you haven't. If I just left my treasure out anywhere, I'd get challenged for it all the time. And you know I can only get challenged if people actually _see_ my treasure."

"Yeah, I guess. But where else wouldja—" The blond gasped as the older boy stopped in front of a wall and reached out to give one of the bricks a shove. "A secret passage? Are you serious!" He gasped again as the stones grated against each other before the brunet pushed it open further. "What the hell! Really?"

Seto took a step inside, then turned to look back at him and tilted his head, holding his hand out for him to take again. "Are you coming?"

"Ya mean I can come? You're actually showin' me?" Joey asked quickly, looking up at him in surprise.

The brunet frowned. "Of course. I would have had to show you anyway, at some point; if I die, you inherit everything." He paused before offering him a tentative smile. "Besides… I consider it partly yours, too."

The black dragon felt his heart thud in his chest painfully at the admission; some sires still considered the treasure they accumulated before mating to be solely theirs, and would only belong to the dame in the event of their deaths. That Seto actually now considered his hoard as _their_ hoard was heartwarming; the brunet wasn't as much of a selfish bastard as he thought.

Seto's brows furrowed together in confusion. "…Joey?" He began to withdraw his hand, fearing he'd offended him, but was surprised when the blond reached out with both of his hands again, capturing it and holding it close as he stepped into the passageway as well. "…It's okay, you know. It's only dark for a few minutes."

Joey snuggled up against his arm, deciding not to explain that he wasn't afraid of the darkness that would close in as soon as he shut the door and was actually holding onto him because he'd said something that made him happy. He realized that Seto wasn't a bad person, but he was still afraid to make him think that he'd completely forgiven him. He shivered a little as the door grated shut, leaving them in complete darkness.

Then he felt his heart warm a little as he heard the brunet say, "I won't let you fall. Here..."

The blond whined in the back of his throat as he was maneuvered around so his back was pressed to the older boy's chest, stiffening as he remembered their forced mating. He only relaxed when the brunet rested one hand on his right shoulder and gently grabbed his left wrist with the other. "…S-Seto?"

"Put your hand against the wall." Seto directed his hand to the wall, marveling for a moment at how soft his skin was despite the hard muscles, then shook his head violently. He knew the blond would not approve of his last thoughts. "The floor is completely flat; as long as you have your hand on the wall, you won't have to worry about running into anything. You only start kicking gems and coins and tripping after you get some light back, so by then it's your own fault if you fall."

Joey began walking, his hand kept pressed to the wall as the brunet walked behind him carefully. "Have people ever tried t' challenge ya for your treasure before?"

"Of course. It started after the mourning period for my parents ended. Then I was so angry that people were challenging me for my inheritance because of their own greed that I thrashed them so soundly they didn't come back for months. By then, I'd hidden the treasure. That's why I had to fetch Mokuba's half of the inheritance myself."

The blond frowned. "How rich _were_ your parents?"

Seto frowned as well. "I'm not really sure. I've never counted. I've never really cared, other than when I need money to buy meat for you from the humans. Even then, I have enough coins to last us for a few centuries."

"Why do ya have this castle, anyway? What did your parents do that the humans would just give it away?"

"…Um…"

Joey turned his head toward him inquisitively; he'd heard embarrassment. "What is it?"

"…They believed that my parents making love helped cure an epidemic."

The blond let out a shriek of laughter. "_What?_"

Seto felt his cheeks burning a little in embarrassment. "There was this deadly flu or something going around and wiping out humans, I guess. My parents were feeling adventurous and decided to make love next to a lake. I guess my dad accidentally sent some of his lightning at the lake when he came or something and killed whatever caused the epidemic in the lake, so… their sex saved the humans or something?"

"I don't believe it!" Joey covered his mouth with his free hand to try and stifle his giggles, as he didn't want to make the brunet feel bad, but… but the humans had believed that his parents having sex ended an epidemic!

"Yeah, well, the only reason I know that is from talking to older dragons. Usually, when my parents were laughing about it, I stuck my fingers in my ears and began singing."

The blond chuckled a little longer before forcing himself to calm down. "Singin', huh? Are ya any good?"

Seto frowned. "At singing?"

"Yeah."

"…I guess I'm okay. The mirrors never cracked or anything, and Mokuba says I'm good, but… I think that's just because he's too afraid he'll hurt my feelings." The brunet glanced upward as the darkness around became a little less dim. "Mm, we're getting close."

"Oh." Joey tilted his head a little, trying to imagine what the brunet's deep voice would sound like in song, only to gasp as he saw something sparkling in the distance. As a dragon, he was naturally drawn to pretty or shiny things; as a dragon from further south, he especially liked brightly colored gems, and he could only hope that Seto had a few and would let him keep them in his room.

As he neared the bright room filled with his mate's inheritance, he let out a delighted squeal when he saw all of the different jewels among all of the gold coins and bars and items. There were so many different colors, so many different shapes, so many common ones and so many _rare_ ones—_'Oh Ra I think I just came in my pants.'_

Seto couldn't help a smile as the blond let out an excited 'mwee!' and dove onto a pile of treasure, purring and writhing happily as his shiny scales reflected the light onto the shiny coins and gems. Sitting down slowly, he merely watched as his dame wriggled around, coins jingling as his tail batted and wiggled as the reflections of gems turned the black scales of his wings red and green and blue, like dark stained glass. He was so pretty, wallowing around in his fortune.

The brunet had really held no feelings for his hoard—it had just _sat_ there and _existed_ for so long, after all—but now that he saw his mate so thrilled with it, making both the treasure and himself look more appealing, he held a new respect for both of them.

Joey squealed again as he found a deep red ruby about the size of an eye, and soon found a few more roughly the same size and color. Sliding through the treasure back to his mate, he cooed pleasantly. "Seto, can I have these? Can I, huh? I'll take care of 'em. Wouldja mind if I took 'em? Please?"

Seto sighed and smiled a little, nodding. "It's your treasure too. You have the right to take anything you want from here. –Just try not to take too much, or else word will get out and you might have some challenges for your treasure on your hands."

The blond purred and curled around a large golden statue, tail twitching like a pleased cat's. "Mm, thank you…"

The older boy frowned as soon as the black dragon began to doze. Joey had certainly warmed up to him once he'd seen all of the gold and jewels. Then again, he had only asked for a few rubies, relatively common and not worth as much as some of the other gems he had—which, seeing that the blond knew quite well about gems in general (what with his collection that he'd brought from the blond's den), was quite a small request.

…He was confused. Did that mean that money _did_ affect what his mate thought of him, or was the blond just happy to see a lot of shiny things? …Well, as long as his mate was happy, he supposed. Or at least… not-unhappy.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"So he took you against your will, then went out of his way to make sure you were as happy as possible when he moved you to his castle, and then you poisoned him and realized he wasn't so bad. Is that why I'm being led to believe?" Serenity asked after a few moments, frowning.

Joey sighed and turned his head away. "Well it sounds worse when ya say it like that. …Ya should've seen him, Ren. He bent over backwards t' make sure I was comfortable and my room was decorated nicely, and he made sure my mattress was stuffed with bird down, and he's given me tons of thick blankets. He's got nothin' in his room except the bare necessities and his mattress is stuffed with hay. He's only got two blankets that really don't do any good, and he shivers most nights. I fixed his window, but there's still a lot of cold air gettin' in. …Every time I leave an extra blanket on his bed, I always find it back on my bed before I go t' sleep."

The red-haired girl frowned, her silvery black wings fluttering in agitation before tucking behind her gracefully. "I don't know what to tell you, Joey. I already don't like him, since he didn't even _try_ to court you; personally, I think he deserves everything he gets."

"…He's not that bad, actually…" the older boy replied, sighing. "He takes care of me, feeds me, doesn't touch me. …I think he's afraid of me."

"Good. And he should apologize his ass off for raping you. And you should _let_ him apologize for years to come!" Serenity retorted, tail lashing angrily. "You're so forgiving sometimes, Joey! Let him wallow in his guilt and take advantage of it a little! He deserves it!"

Joey frowned. "…I don't think I can do that, Serenity. You've never seen how he skulks around his own home, or how he doesn't seem t' know what t' do or where t' go because he's so afraid he'll piss me off. It's not a good feelin', knowin' that you're the reason someone is afraid t' even breathe too loud in his own castle."

"…I still think he deserves everything he gets from you," she replied, scowling, as she crossed her arms.

The blond sighed and sat down on her bed—not as comfy as his own, but still comfier than the one filled with hay that his mate slept on. "I dunno. It's his brother that really pisses me off. Just comin' in and accusin' me of matin' with him for his money! I didn't even know who he was!"

"Does he know that his beloved brother _raped_ you?" she spat, flopping down next to him. "I'm sure _that_ would make him shove his foot in his mouth!"

Joey frowned. "They really care about each other, Ren, and they don't have anyone else; Yami told me their parents were killed in an accident when they were small. I couldn't rip them apart like that. I mean, how would _you_ feel if ya found out _I_ raped someone?"

Serenity glared at him. "_You_ would never do anything like that!"

"What if I did, Serenity? What if I did hurt someone like that? Would you still love me then?" he asked sharply. "Ya might hate me. I could never handle that, and we both have parents we can go to—not very _good_ parents, but parents nonetheless. They have no one. The only family they have is Yami, and I know Yami would stop talkin' t' him if he ever found out. From what I've seen, he only interacts with his brother and Yami. I wouldn't wanna cut him off from the only people he has left."

She heaved a sigh and shook her head in disbelief. "You're too good for him, Joey. I hope he realizes that."

Joey smiled and lifted his hand to ruffle her hair. "Isn't it s'posed t' be _me_ watchin' out for _you?_"

She shrugged flippantly. "Well, sometimes you're just too soft to hate someone properly."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto knew the moment he arrived and saw both Joey and Mokuba that the meeting would not end well. He looked from his brother, to his mate, to his brother's prospective mate, and saw looks of expectancy, surprise, and hatred, respectively. And then the girl had surged to her feet.

"_You!_"

"…Me…" he replied quietly, frowning, and took a step back as thunder rumbled in the distance.

"What sort of monster _are_ you? Oh, wait—I know—You're a _rapist_ monster!" she snarled, glaring at him.

Seto took another step back. "…I… I didn't mean…"

"How can you not mean to rape someone?"

Before the brunet could even try to defend himself, his brother stepped in, frowning and crossing his arms. "Serenity, I highly doubt my brother did something like that. He has no sex drive whatsoever. Actually, Yami and I agreed that he's basically asexual."

The older boy grunted in offense. "Excuse me?"

Serenity ignored his outburst and turned her fury on his brother. "Then you and Yami are _morons,_ because obviously he raped my brother!"

"Serenity—" Mokuba sighed and let his arms fall to his sides.

"No, Mokuba. She's… she's right," Seto cut in quietly. "Joey didn't even know me, and I certainly didn't know him. And I know for a fact he didn't want it."

"Is your brother too _godly_ in your eyes to have a fault?" Serenity snarled, gesturing wildly at the brunet. "How did you miss something _that_ big—that your brother's a rapist! You know what, on second thought, it's probably because you're so much like him—and I have _no_ interest in mating with a rapist." She crossed her arms and turned her back to him, thrusting her wings out in a universal signal of 'don't you come near me or I'll rip your eyes out.' "Our courtship ends here."

Mokuba mouthed at her wordlessly, horrified. All of his hard work—all of his gifts and conversations and _time_—had just gone down the drain! …All because of his _brother._

Seto winced as his brother turned toward him sharply, face twisted into an angry snarl. "M-Mokuba, I—"

"You _bastard._ You stupid _bastard!_ Do you know how hard I had to work to even get her to look at me! Do you know how hard I had to work to get her to _agree_ to me courting her? I finally got her to agree to _think_ about mating with me seriously and then you—you can't keep your dick in your pants and ruin _everything!_" He took a deep breath to try and calm himself even as angry tears filled his eyes, then roared, "_I hate you!_"

The brunet sighed in defeat and bowed his head; he knew there was no arguing with his brother when he was in this mood. "…Fine."

Joey blinked, appalled, then snarled and stood up as well; he couldn't take his mate's immediate submission in the face of an altercation anymore. "'Fine? _Fine?_' That's _all_ you've got t' _say?_"

Seto took another step back, brows furrowing together in trepidation; not only were his brother and his mate's sister yelling at him, but now Joey was going to throw in his two cents? In the brief silence before he spoke, he heard the soft pitter-patter of the starting rain. "…What else would I say?"

"How about fightin' back, not actin' like a coward! Why the hell don't ya ever fight back? Sires _aren't_ s'posed t' just take whatever crap people give 'em!" The blond let out a frustrated growl. "Maybe if ya learned how t' act like a proper sire, I'd like ya! Ra, it's no wonder I want nothin' t' do with ya!"

He'd thought… he'd thought they'd been doing _okay._ To hear that Joey still didn't like him, still didn't respect him as a sire other than that he carried out his duties, broke his heart; he'd been under the false impression that he'd been slowly earning the blond's trust, but he'd been _wrong._ He'd been _completely_ wrong.

He could put up with an attack from his mate, or an attack from his brother, but he couldn't put up with both at the same time. He especially couldn't do it with a third party there to help them.

Turning, Seto began flapping his wings immediately, even before he cleared the mouth of the red-haired dragon's den. Leaping out into the heavy drizzle, he beat his wings frantically to get away from the harsh words and insults, to flee into the relative safety of a physical storm instead of an emotional one.

He had to focus on not being blown away and avoiding other flying objects. That meant he didn't have to think about what he'd just been told. His heart ached, though, and he felt a tight pain in his body from his chest to his gut. He couldn't win. He would _never_ win. He was meant to be alone, even having found his Other. He should just send Joey away so he could fall in love with someone else before he learned that they were Others and forget he'd ever found him.

He might as well starve himself and die while he was at it. Mokuba knew that he'd raped his mate. That meant that Yami would know soon, too, and would either come and scold him, or would stop speaking to him altogether. He'd lost all respect from the only people he cared about. With no one to care about him, what was the point? He couldn't just sit in his library and read for the rest of his life.

Suddenly, any thoughts that he had were cleared from his mind, whether it was about flying and staying alive or his current family situation. All he was aware of was burning pain as his muscles twitched and spasmed. He tried to think, but none of his thoughts would come; he could feel them in the back of his mind, but couldn't get them far enough to the front to concentrate on them.

Then, his body slammed into something, and he was aware that he was plunging downward. His body smashed into something else, and he realized he was falling through the trees to the forest floor below. He didn't have a chance to right himself, however, and so he braced himself for each bash and buffet from the branches until he finally hit the ground with a crunch.

He could only lie there, still stunned, for the first few minutes. Then, finally, he realized that he must have been struck by the lightning from the building storm. He'd warned his mate to stay inside in case of a storm and had foolishly flown into one himself. On the other hand, when he remembered the events leading up to his epic stupidity, he felt himself completely justified; if he died, he wouldn't have to worry about the emotional pain that made his throat lock up and his eyes burn.

Finally, Seto rolled onto his side and let out a quiet whine as he felt something piercing his wing. Turning his head, he saw a broken branch stuck through his wing, and the angle was askew. He'd seriously hurt himself. Sitting up, he grasped the thicker side of the branch and yanked it out, whining again as some stubs from the twigs on it aggravated his wound further. He'd have to walk the rest of the way.

Tucking his injured wing back carefully, he swung his other wing up to shield his head from the rain. This turned out to be a mistake, as a sudden, strong gust of wind sent him head over heels into a mud puddle. "Ack!"

Seto sat up slowly and sighed, arms trembling a little as he pushed himself into a sitting position. _'What's the point, though?'_ What was the point of getting up? His brother hated him, and his cousin would probably hate him soon, too. His mate hated him, too, and would probably never change his opinion of him.

Didn't he realize that he couldn't risk angering him? He'd already raped him and made him hate him, so he couldn't make him angry anymore. He couldn't stand up for himself with him. He couldn't stand up to himself with Mokuba, either, because it really _had_ been his fault that his Other no longer wanted him.

…If everyone he cared about hated him, why bother?

Arms giving out as that one heart-breaking thought finally registered, Seto whimpered as he fell back into the mud. There _was_ no point anymore. If he was gone, Joey could go on his way and look for his Other (which he wouldn't find, but he supposed it served him right), Mokuba would have another chance with Serenity, Serenity wouldn't have to worry about her brother anymore, and he wouldn't have to worry about Yami and however he may choose to react.

Seto slid his good wing over his head, sighing, and made sure to keep it as close to the ground as possible so it wouldn't be thrown by one of the gusts of wind. Then, he laid his head on his arms and just listened to the storm as it passed over him, pretending that his cheeks were only moist from the rain he'd flown through.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I'm terrible for not answering your reviews. I know. ;P You love me anyway, though.

Also! Chill out, guys! It's just a story! No need to get so horribly offended by any of the characters, alright?

* * *

Chapter 4

Joey was worried. After the storm had ended, he'd flown straight home, hoping to find Seto and maybe talk with him about what happened. However, after a thorough search of the castle, he couldn't be found. When a day had passed, and he still hadn't returned to feed him, he knew something was wrong, which called for a visit to his friends.

He found Yami in a sour mood, as he'd expected. "I'm sorry my cousin did that to you, Joey."

Joey sighed. "Yeah, whatever. I heard that already." Turning to the smaller of the look-alikes, he frowned. "Yug', I need somethin' for pain."

Yugi frowned in concern. "Did he hurt you, Joey?"

"No, I think somethin' hurt him—The storm ended the day before yesterday, right? Well, I came home as soon as it ended, but Seto wasn't there, and he's always there t' feed me." The blond sighed again and crossed his arms worriedly. "Even though he forced himself on me, he's always taken care of me. He's fed me, made sure I'm comfortable—even when I want nothin' t' do with him. He hasn't come back t' feed me and I'm worried; the only thing that would keep him from comin' back would be if he was hurt. If he's in pain, I want some way t' dull it until I can get him home t' take care of him."

"I find it admirable that even though he's done something unforgivable to you, you still want to help him," Yami stated, narrowing his eyes. "You're usually more vindictive, Joey. What has he done to deserve it?"

Joey turned his gaze on the ground. "…He hasn't asked me for anything. He hasn't touched me. He hasn't said anything t' me unless he's had to. Hasn't looked me in the eye." He paused, then scuffed the ground with his foot. "…Hasn't even asked me for a blanket even though he's freezin' and I've got blankets t' spare."

"What I can't fathom—" Yami began, as if ignoring everything he'd just heard. "—Is why he'd just rape you. He's never shown any interest in having a mate, and even when asked about his Other, he said he'd rather do without finding his; something about how he wouldn't know how to act around them because he's never seen how a mated couple is supposed to act. I suppose that's true, but if he wasn't interested in a mate, why would he force his claim on one?"

Joey frowned in thought. From what he saw of Seto, he was pretty stubborn (always putting his blankets back when he obviously didn't need them was a sure sign of that), and he didn't go back on his word. So why would he—

"Yami? When you found out that Yugi was your Other, what did you do?"

Yami blinked at the abrupt change in subject, then frowned thoughtfully. "I was filled with so much joy and love that I didn't know what to do with myself, so I took a flight to think about how I was going to go about courting him."

Joey frowned, but then, suddenly, everything seemed to make sense.

Seto wouldn't just jump into something like mating without thinking unless he had a very good reason. Plus, he'd never seen how two mates were supposed to act except for what he'd seen from Yami and other mated couples, so he wouldn't know how to act around his mate intimately. He'd been starved of affection growing up, so it would figure that he wouldn't know how to react to feelings of love and affection, especially if they came suddenly and out of nowhere. And he seemed genuinely remorseful about hurting him in the beginning, and had done everything to get back in his good graces.

He'd… he'd really hurt his Other.

Joey let out a cry of pain as a lance of heat shot through his heart and grabbed his chest. "Ah! Hurts-!"

"Eek! Joey! How do you hurt? Is it a burning hurt or is it a flesh wound kind of hurt?" Yugi exclaimed frantically, hurrying over to help him sit without falling. "Joey!"

"Agh! Burn hurt-!" the blond exclaimed, tears forming in his eyes as the heat began moving from his chest outward. "Ah-! Hurts!"

"Burns! I have something for burns!" the smaller boy exclaimed, scurrying over to his wall of poultices and balms. "Stay there!"

Joey mewed helplessly and clutched at his chest harder, trembling. It hurt so badly. Is that what Seto felt when he first saw him? Damn, it hurt!

Then as soon as it was there it was gone, leaving him feeling drained, cold, and lonely. Was that what Seto felt when he slammed the door in his face? Was that how he felt when he snarled at him, when he went to his cold, dark room at night, curled up beneath his two useless blankets on his uncomfortable bed?

Joey let out a sob. How could he have done this to his Other after he'd sworn to himself that he'd only do his best to make his Other happy when he was a child? Seto had tried so hard to please him, to make him happy, and he'd just pushed it away like it didn't matter to him. How many times had Seto been crushed by being pushed away by someone that was supposed to love him, by being insulted and snarled at and treated like trash?

He'd called him a coward for never standing up for himself. He hadn't realized that maybe Seto just didn't want to deal with the hurt that would come from the argument that would surely ensue if he did. How could he have been so cruel? And now Seto was out there somewhere, hurt—

"Oh fuck. Yug', I gotta go—I'm fine now—I need t' find him!" Joey exclaimed, scrambling back to his feet as he gently but hurriedly pushed his friend away. "I gotta—Oh shit, I'm such a jerk—" Spreading his wings, he leapt off of the ledge, still cursing himself for his stupidity and heartlessness.

.-.-.-.-.-.

He found him in a crumpled, pathetic heap.

Joey stumbled a little in his rush over to his mate and nearly fell, but managed to get his balance back just in time to be able to kneel next to him without actually flipping over him. "Seto!"

The brunet groaned quietly but didn't move his wing to uncover his head.

"Oh, Ra, how long have ya been here-?" The smaller boy grabbed his shoulder and shook him. "Seto!" He gasped as he saw the hole in his twisted wing that was crusted with blood, then covered his mouth and looked down at his mate in shame.

Why? Why was he just finding out now that Seto was his Other? He had only done his best to make him happy, but he was the one suffering the most. Why couldn't he have figured it out before going to see Serenity, before Seto had fled into the storm?

Joey hesitated before reaching out to gently pull his wing to uncover the brunet's head. "…Seto…" When he saw a glassy blue eye peering up at him in confusion, he smiled. "I'm so glad you're awake. Are… are you okay?"

Seto let out a rumble and let his eyes drift closed. "No."

The blond flinched at that, then wrapped his arms around his waist and lifted him upward, grinding his teeth at the feeling of gritty mud covering his mate's body. He must have been cold. "…Seto, I… I don't know if I can carry ya all the way home. You're heavy, and… Lookit this…" he whispered, placing his hand over the hole in his wing. "…We need t' get Yugi t' heal this."

The brunet scowled. "No."

"…But why?" Joey asked quietly, brows furrowing together in confusion.

"_Because,_ Joey, everyone would be better off without me. …And Yami probably wouldn't let him treat me anyway," he stated bitterly.

The blond felt his heart throb at the angry, broken expression on the older boy's face. He… he really believed that it was better if he died. "But… but what about me?"

"What _about_ you? You get the castle. You get all of my money. You get to go look for your 'Other—'" he began resentfully.

"But I already found my Other," Joey whispered, brows furrowing together.

Seto looked up at him sharply, then scowled and wrapped his good wing around himself protectively. "Well that's just peachy. You realize I'm your Other just when I decide it would be best if I die. It figures."

The blond frowned in confusion. "…I thought you'd be happy…"

"I'm pleased as punch. It only took my little brother and my cousin disowning me and you calling me a coward just because I didn't want to be hurt. If this is love, _I'm not interested!_" he snarled, peeking out at him for only a moment before ducking back behind his wing.

"But… Seto, I'm…" Joey bit his bottom lip. "…I… I just learned… I… I didn't mean to…" Tears forming in his eyes, he let out a shaky sigh. "…I know I was cruel t' ya, but I didn't know. I just thought you'd come outta nowhere, and—" He paused, then allowed a small sob to escape his lips. "I'm sorry. I realize how much it musta hurt ya, and I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's probably my fault anyway," Seto mumbled, sighing in frustration as he uncovered his head. "…I'm just no good at this 'sire and dame' thing."

"…I think you're doing an okay job," Joey argued quietly. "…'specially for someone whose mate didn't want anything t' do with him."

The brunet sighed again, then turned his gaze on him, frowning. "What do you propose we do about it then, Joey?"

"…Oooh…" The blond chewed on his bottom lip, then lowered his head a little. "…We… we could start by movin' in t' the same room, so we can get used t' bein' with each other. I'm not sayin' we should stay in the same bed or nothin', but—" He frowned when the older boy immediately shook his head. "Why not?"

"At least when we're in opposite rooms, I can dream about being close to you. I don't need you taunting me by making me stay in the same room with you," Seto spat. "I'm not interested in staying in the same room with you. I'll try to touch you, and you'll just slap me away again."

Joey fidgeted anxiously; he had no idea he'd so seriously hurt the other man's confidence. "…W-well, I don't think I'm ready for sex, but—"

"I didn't say I wanted sex. I said I wanted to be able to touch you," the brunet cut in. "I want to be able to run my fingers through your hair, rub your back, kiss your neck, stroke your scales."

"You… ya wanna stroke my scales?" the blond asked quietly, blushing a little. "…No one's ever wanted t' stroke my scales before. Why would ya wanna…?"

Seto raised an eyebrow and sat up a little, motioning toward the blond's tail. "May I?" When he received a timid nod, he placed his hand on the ebony scales and gently traced them with his fingertips before slowly dragging his hand downward. Once he'd reached as far down his tail as he could, he slid his hand back up, glancing upward as the younger boy gasped and blushed. "I've seen other couples do it. I assume it isn't sexual, because they don't mind doing it in front of others, but it feels very nice, doesn't it?"

Joey blushed even more and sighed. "Yeah, but—Seto, it's only if—"

"…So I'm wrong then…?" the brunet asked quietly, frowning.

Seeing the disappointment in the other boy's eyes, the black-scaled dragon sighed again. "You're not _wrong,_ you're just—my tail's _sensitive,_ Seto. Ya can't stroke my scales that hard unless ya wanna get me hot and bothered."

The older boy blinked, then looked down at his tail. After a moment, he looked back up at him in confusion. "I'm not sure I understand."

The blond rolled his eyes and groaned quietly in frustration. "Listen, just promise ya won't touch my barb and you can stroke my scales anytime ya want."

Seto flinched. "I don't think I _want_ to touch your barb."

Joey was reminded of the brunet's first experience with his poison; he decided that he'd be lucky if Seto would stroke within a foot of it along his tail. Sighing again, he rested his head against the white dragon's shoulder, letting his eyes flutter closed tiredly. "Whatever, Seto."

The older boy blinked, then hesitantly lifted his hand to rest it on top of the smaller dragon's mop of blond hair. "…I suppose sharing a room with you wouldn't be too bad."

Joey looked up at him and offered a timid smile. "…You can move into my room, if ya want. The… the bed's big enough for both of us t' have plenty of room, a-and there are plenty of blankets. I'd… I'd like t' try and get t' know ya now."

Seto paused, then nodded slowly. "Okay. As long as you don't hit me with your barb again."

The blond winced. "I'm sorry…" When the older boy stayed silent, he began to pet the brunet's hair gently. "Really. We'll… we'll get through this, Seto. I promise."

"…Okay," the white dragon repeated quietly. "Okay."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Wow, Seto, that's healing really well," Yugi commented, prodding at the small hole in the brunet's wing.

"Ow."

"Sorry." He didn't really sound sorry.

Joey frowned. "Ya could at least sound more concerned when ya say it…"

"I'm not, though. It's healing well, he probably won't have any lasting damage, and he whines like a kit anyway," the smaller boy replied, raising an eyebrow at him. "You should have seen him when he broke his arm in a dominance game. He whimpered and whined the entire time. Considering Seto's past injuries, this one was a piece of cake," he sighed, giving the wound another prod.

"Ow."

"Oh, grow up, you big baby," Yugi snorted, then stood to leave. "Well, I better get going."

"How did ya convince Yami t' let ya come alone, anyway?" Joey asked, frowning, as he stood to walk him to the door.

The smaller boy snorted and waved the question away flippantly. "I told him I was coming to visit you and I had no interest in watching him glare at Seto the entire time. He just sighed and nodded and said he'd go visit Téa."

"Oh."

"Yugi-?"

The smaller boy turned and tilted his head. "Hmm?"

Seto paused for a moment, then turned to look at him. "…Have you heard from Mokuba?"

Yugi frowned and tapped his fingers together anxiously. "…Sort of. Yami went to go see how his courting with Serenity was going, now that Joey discovered he was your Other, but apparently Serenity is so opposed to being related to a rapist that she won't mate with Mokuba until you're dead, even if she is Mokuba's Other. …Mokuba didn't really state his opinion on the matter."

"…Leading me to believe that he wants me dead, too," the brunet muttered, turning to face forward again. "I'll see you around, Yugi."

Yugi frowned. "…Right. Bye."

Seto listened to him leave, then let his wings wilt dejectedly. His mate was willing to start over with him, but his family wanted nothing to do with him. Perhaps it would have been better if he'd died. Joey may not have been able to find his Other, but he could have had a chance at being happy with someone else. Mokuba would be mated with his own Other, and Serenity wouldn't worry about her brother anymore.

Anything would have been better than having his only family want nothing to do with him.

Seto stiffened in surprise as he felt a pair of arms sliding around his waist, then turned in confusion.

Joey frowned at him, brows furrowing together. "I need you."

The brunet couldn't help a small smile at that. His mate was trying to make him feel better. That made him feel… warm. And happy. And Joey was smiling at him now—and that was all he'd ever wanted.

Seto hesitated before turning his head to brush his lips over the blond's cheek. When the other boy stiffened, he quickly turned his head away, but then the younger boy grabbed his hair and yanked his head around to mash their lips together. He let out a surprised rumble and parted his lips, and he suddenly found his mouth being attacked by an inquisitive, willing tongue.

Joey broke the kiss slowly and smiled, humming thoughtfully. "Mm. It's better if both parties are involved."

"…Yeah," the brunet replied quietly, then turned and slid his arms around the other dragon's waist. Nuzzling into the blond's stomach, he sighed. "…I'm sorry I'm not a better mate."

"…You're tryin' your best," Joey whispered, frowning again. "What makes you think you're a bad mate?"

Seto refused to answer for a few minutes, but after the blond began stroking his hair, he sighed again. "…I'm your Other. I was supposed to protect you, but instead, _I_ hurt you. Sires… sires don't do that." He dug his fingers into one of the blond's wings and groaned. "I haven't even done anything to make it up to you, and you kiss me like there's nothing wrong. I don't know how I'm ever going to be a better mate."

"…Seto…" The blond's brows furrowed together in frustration. "You're not a bad mate, ya just… ya just have trouble dealin' with your feelin's. I'm not… I'm not mad at ya anymore. I'm gettin' t' know ya. We like each other. …We're gettin' better…"

"I'll never be able to make up for that first time," the older boy whispered, frowning, and hugged him tighter. "And the others will never forget, either. Will you… will you take Mokuba and Yami their birthday gifts when the time comes? I… I know they don't care for me anymore, and they'll probably just throw the gifts out, but… I would like them to…"

Joey sighed and hugged the brunet tighter, tears forming in his eyes at the sadness in his mate's voice. His cousin and his brother wanted nothing to do with him, and he was still going to try and send them birthday gifts, even with the thought that they'd probably end up in the trash anyway. He just kept reaching out for love and affection, only to repeatedly be pushed away.

And he'd been partly at fault for pushing him away, too.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: This chapter is longer than the others. That being said, I have a message for all of you:

Your reviews have little to no bearing on the next chapter. In fact, the next three chapters are all typed up, set in stone. Please keep that in mind when you review, because while I don't mind new ideas, I am quite offended when demands are made. At least word them as requests, because I'm more likely to respond positively to those than demands.

* * *

Chapter 5

Seto frowned as he pulled a book down from a shelf, eying it critically before sighing and shoving it back in place. "No." He pulled another book down and looked at it, then sighed again. "No."

Joey couldn't help an amused giggle. He'd been watching his mate do this for over an hour, and it never stopped being amusing. "What about that one on your left?" He watched the brunet turn toward it and covered his mouth to muffle a snort when he saw his face twist in horror. "Snk!"

"Why the hell would I give my brother a Kama Sutra book?" The brunet frowned. "Why do I _own_ a Kama Sutra?" He leaned forward to look at the book, then glanced at the books surrounding it. He let out a squawk and jerked backward, tumbling from the ladder and falling to the ground in a pathetic heap. "Ow!"

"Seto!" The blond squeaked and ran over to him. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Seto, to say the least, looked appalled. "It's part of a series!"

Despite the seriousness of the situation (Seto _had_ just fallen off a ladder, after all), Joey had to giggle again. "I wonder how you acquired that!"

"I don't _know!_ Stop laughing at me!"

The blond tilted his head, still chuckling as he looked up at the blue leather-bound books. "Well, I'd say we could give 'em t' Yami for his birthday, but I think I wanna look through 'em a little first!"

It was an attempt at humor—hinting that maybe, after they'd gotten to know each other better, they could try to have sex again. It would be safe and consensual and a pleasure for both of them.

Unfortunately, it went right over the brunet's head, as he frowned and raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. "Why would you want to?"

"Because—Never mind," Joey sighed, shaking his head. He held his hands out to help him up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine." Seto grunted as he stood up and tested his injured wing, still a little tender from the broken bones and piercing. "Just a little bruised."

The blond reached out to stroke his wing in concern; once he was satisfied that it had suffered no further damage, he turned to go sit on one of the comfy chairs. "You should be more careful."

"I'm sorry if a series of sex books just leapt at my face!" the older boy exclaimed, scowling, and motioned at his face. "Especially considering sex is what got you to hate me in the first place! Ra, it's like my library is mocking me!"

Joey stopped in his tracks and frowned as the brunet glared up at the books, then hesitantly walked back to him and placed his hand on the brunet's shoulder. "Seto, it… Ya don't hafta feel bad about it anymore. I forgive ya. I know ya didn't really mean t' do it. Ya… ya couldn't control yourself."

Seto's wings wilted a little at that. "…I still should have tried harder to control myself. I hurt you. I made you hate me. That's no way for a sire to treat a dame."

The younger boy sighed. "…But a dame shouldn't block a sire's attempts to get closer and leave him to fend for himself after making him sick. I had no right t' do that t' ya, no matter how angry ya made me or how much I didn't like ya."

"…You… didn't?" The brunet turned to face him and frowned, brows furrowing together in confusion. "…I don't understand."

The black dragon smiled a little at the expression on the other boy's face, then grabbed his hands and gently led him over to one of the armchairs. Helping him to sit without crushing his still-tender wing, he settled himself carefully on the brunet's lap, wrapping his tail around his waist gently. "Let me explain it to you."

Seto sighed and laid his head on the blond's shoulder, feeling entirely inadequate. "…Okay."

Joey took a few moments to pet his chest, trailing his fingers over the brunet's smooth skin, then turned his head to brush his lips over his ear. "You were entirely sincere when ya brought me t' your castle. You just wanted me t' be happy, and ya tried your best to serve me, but I didn't appreciate any of it, even when it was obvious ya were sufferin' because of me. That wasn't fair." He caught the older boy's earlobe and nibbled on it a moment, then nuzzled under his chin. "I should've allowed ya at least a little benefit of the doubt. Even then, I _certainly_ shouldn't have poisoned ya and then force ya t' fend for yourself."

"…So… so it wasn't only my fault?" the white dragon asked quietly—and with no small amount of hope.

"No. It was my fault, too, at least a little bit." The blond rubbed his cheek against the older boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry for treatin' ya so badly when ya were just tryin' t' please me. I'm so sorry." He mewed as he was pulled into a kiss, then slid his arms around the brunet's neck, turning to face him and better attack the older boy's mouth with his own.

He moaned quietly as the older boy reached down to grasp his hips, shivering as his claws gently scratched against his skin, then slid his hands into the brunet's hair as he lifted his tail to gently trace circles with the tip of the large spike at the end of his barb.

Then, he found himself on the floor, startled as the older boy crouched in the chair and glared at his tail. Or, more appropriately, the barb at the end. Joey bit his bottom lip and hugged his tail to his body. "I-I'm sorry, Seto."

"…I'm sure you didn't mean it. I just didn't want to get poisoned again," Seto replied slowly, still giving his barb a dirty look.

"But—Seto, it only—that's not how my barb _works!_" the blond exclaimed, frowning.

The older boy didn't look convinced. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, _really!_ It—it—Look, the poison only comes out of this big spike at the end, and even then, it's not like I can control it that much! It just—it just seeps out whenever I'm mad or scared! It's really not that bad!" He stood up and dusted himself off, then looked up at his mate again, frowning. "If ya just looked at it—"

"I don't want it near me!" Seto exclaimed angrily, stepping off the chair and backing away as the blond began toward him. "I mean it, Joey, don't touch me with it—" He squeaked quietly as he backed into a bookcase.

"It's not poisonous right now, Seto!" Joey twisted his tail around so the barb was held out to him. He frowned when the brunet flinched and closed his eyes tightly, as if expecting pain, then looked down at his barb. He supposed he might be afraid of it too if he'd been poisoned by it and forced to fend for himself for most of the illness he suffered.

Tucking his tail back, well away from the older boy, he stepped up to him and gently nuzzled against him. "…I'm sorry…"

The brunet blinked in confusion, then looked down at him. Seeing that the younger boy was honestly sorry, he hesitantly placed his arms around him, then lifted a hand to gently stroke his hair. "It's okay. I'm sorry, too."

Joey bit his bottom lip when the older boy began to stroke his hair, then whimpered quietly. Even after making his mate upset, he was trying to soothe _him_ instead. "I love you…"

Seto smiled and nuzzled his neck sweetly. "I love you, too."

"…'nd… We can get rid of that Kama Sutra series, too, if ya want."

At that, the brunet scowled. "But then I'll have a huge empty space in my library. I don't have enough books to replace them."

Joey couldn't help it. He started to laugh. "A little obsessive-compulsive, are we?"

"It's a big empty space!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey turned his head as he heard the sound of something slamming against thick wood, then looked up at his mate. "Seto?"

The brunet, he'd found, actually _did_ spend most of his time in the library. He was either reading as he sat in one of the comfy chairs, cleaning, or reorganizing. At first, he'd been confused when his sire had insisted that he learn all about _his_ interests and had not offered to show him any of his own, but when he'd finally insisted that he learn his sire's hobbies, he'd suddenly understood.

Seto had been _embarrassed._ He'd fidgeted, stuttered a few excuses, and then finally sighed in defeat and slowly nodded. Then, he'd shuffled to the library. Once they'd settled in a couple of the comfortable chairs, the brunet had sighed again, glanced around the expansive room (which, he explained later, had actually been a banquet hall before his parents had redecorated), then held his hand out.

"_This_ is my hobby."

Joey, at first, hadn't understood, and had been initially horrified when the white dragon had suddenly stood and began throwing books off a shelf. It was only when Seto had begun looking through all of the displaced books and began replacing them slowly and carefully, muttering about how they'd been out of order, that he realized that there had been _any_ method behind his madness. That was when he truly understood _just_ how obsessive-compulsive his mate was.

Two or three of the books had been out of place, and so he'd had to dump out the whole shelf entirely to fix them.

Since then, he'd watched his mate rearrange the shelves twice, fix the way he ordered the books once, and had been alternating draperies between a floral pattern and blue stripes every Monday (apparently, his parents had never gotten around to choosing and he didn't want to throw one of them out, which he thought was actually rather cute). Any time he wasn't shifting things around, however, he just sat and read; Joey had found quite a comfortable position on the floor, pressed up against his mate's chair and settled between his legs.

Seto boasted that he was already halfway through all of the authors whose last names began with the letter G. Unfortunately, when he read, the rest of the world disappeared.

Scowling, Joey elbowed him in the shin. "Seto!"

"_Ow!_ What!" the brunet exclaimed, sitting up straight and glaring at him in confusion.

"What's that noise?"

Seto froze, brows furrowing together for a moment, before he frowned. "It's someone knocking on the door." Sighing, he began putting a marker in his book so he could find his place again when he got back. "I'll go get it—"

"Oh! No, I'll get it!" Joey exclaimed quickly, tossing his book aside. He flinched when he heard his mate squeak and murmured a timid 'sorry' before getting to his feet and scurrying to the door to the library. Turning, he looked back to see his mate picking up the book and delicately setting it on the table beside the chair. "Do ya wanna see whoever it is in here?"

"That's fine," the brunet replied, picking up the book again and brushing away some imaginary dust.

"'kay. Be back in a jiffy!" As he left, he heard the confused question of 'how long _is_ a jiffy, anyway?'

Chuckling quietly, Joey made his way to the front door as quickly as he could without actually sprinting down the halls. Once he reached the door, he took a few deep breaths to calm his heavy breathing, then opened the door. "Hello? Yugi!"

Yugi smiled up at him and tucked the package he was holding beneath one arm so he could wave. "Hi, Joey. Um, is Seto around, or is he busy?"

"Oh. Uh, he's in the library. Do ya need help with that, Yug'?"

"No, I've got it," he replied, stepping inside so he could shut the door. "So, what have you and Seto been doing all day?"

Joey shrugged and clasped his hands behind his back as he began leading the way to the library. "Oh, not much. First he helped me find some more rubies so I could weld them into one of my lamps, then we had some brunch, and we've been sort of lounging in the library since then."

Yugi looked up at him in surprise. "That's all?"

"…Well, I'll admit we could have been more productive, but we woke up really late this morning," the blond explained. "It's just been a lazy day, I guess."

"Do you have any plans for tonight, then?"

"…Eating dinner…?"

The smaller boy frowned. "You mean you're not going to—"

"Huh? Are we supposed to be doing something?"

"I can't… Oh, _Joey._" Yugi sighed and rolled his eyes, then looked up as they made their way into the library. "Seto—"

"Yugi. Hmm, I really wasn't expecting anyone today," Seto commented idly, not looking up from his book.

Yugi flinched a little, then walked toward him and forced a smile. "I was friends with you _long_ before I was Yami's mate, Seto. It would take nothing short of a storm or a forest fire to keep me from coming to see you today."

The brunet rested his arms over the back of the chair and finally turned to face him, still holding the book in one hand. "Well, that's true; you're almost disgustingly loyal."

"…I'll take that as a compliment," the smaller boy stated darkly, glaring at him, then forced the package into his arms. "Here."

"Hmm." Seto took it and opened it carefully, then froze when he saw what was inside. Slowly pulling the soft fabric out, he set the box aside and laid it on his lap, idly stroking the softness with his fingers as he took in all of the designs so intricately and thoughtfully woven into it. It had taken a long time, he decided, for his cousin's mate to weave the blue blanket with little red and black polka dots on it. "Thank you, Yugi."

"No problem! Well, I've gotta go now; I've got herbs hanging out to dry and I want to get them inside before tonight's damp can get to them." Smiling, Yugi placed a hand on his shoulder before turning to leave. "Happy birthday, Seto!"

Joey turned to look after him in confusion, then turned back to his mate sharply. "That's what he meant when he asked if we had plans tonight! Seto, why didn't ya tell me?"

Seto looked up at him in confusion. "Tell you what?"

"That today was your birthday, you idiot!" the blond roared angrily. "I didn't get ya anything, I didn't_ make_ anything for ya, I've got _nothin'!_ Were ya just gonna not say _anything?_"

"…I had not planned on saying anything, no," the brunet replied, frowning, as he was still puzzled by his dame's fury.

"And why _not?_"

At that, the older boy looked away in shame, reaching up to scratch his cheek anxiously. "…It's just… I'd listened to you damn the day I was born for so long, I just didn't think you'd care. And I didn't think anyone would come by and say anything. Honestly, I'm sort of surprised that Yugi came to give me this. …I expected _him_ to be mad at me, too."

"Oh, _Seto._" Walking over to kneel in front of him, Joey took the brunet's hands in his own and looked up at him sadly. "That was _before_ I learned ya were my Other. I'm _glad_ you were born now." He sighed when the older boy looked away and lifted the brunet's hand so he could lean his face into it. "And I didn't even give ya a birthday gift."

Seto frowned guiltily as he saw how badly his mate felt. Reaching down so he could pull the blond into his arms, he held him tightly. "All I ever wanted was for you to not hate me. I could be happy never getting a birthday gift again now that you know you're my Other and you love me." He held the younger boy tighter and let out a quiet rumble of remorse. "If I'd known it meant so much to you, I would have told you; I promise."

"Jerk. You should tell me things more. You're always keepin' things t' yourself. How am I s'posed t' help ya if ya won't tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm just… so used to being alone all the time… that sometimes I forget that I have someone to tell," the brunet whispered honestly, then hid his face in the other boy's hair. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

Joey didn't have the heart to be mad at him anymore. His poor neglected mate… He needed some serious healing if he ever hoped to be even a little normal.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Yami squawked in alarm as something was thrown at him and ducked just in time to keep the thick book from crushing his skull. "Ack!"

"Joey!" Yugi exclaimed, scowling. "Don't throw things in my den!" He expected an apology, but when he saw that his friend's eyes were more red than brown, he squeaked and scampered for cover—well _away_ from his mate. Screw everyone else; he knew his best friend well enough to know when he needed to hide!

"Happy. Fucking. Birthday," Joey snarled, tail lashing wildly behind him. "But not from me. I couldn't care less what the hell ya do. That's from Seto. He searched the library for days for that. If ya throw it away, I'll beat ya with my tail until ya scream for mercy. He put a lot of time and effort into findin' you a book that you'd like, and I'll be damned if ya just throw all of his hard work away."

"Why are you standing up for him after what he did to you?" Mokuba asked incredulously, standing as Yami bent to pick up the book.

"Well _I've_ forgiven him. I don't see why _you two_ are still so pissed," he hissed, throwing the other package in his arms at his feet. "Happy birthday t' _you,_ too. Sorry it's late, but I had no intention of seein' _either_ of ya more than necessary, since I noticed that Seto only got a birthday gift from Yugi." He slapped his wings together once, causing a loud clapping sound—a way dragons of his species showed animosity; the louder the clap, the more danger a person was in of being hurt. "I'm sorry for throwin' things, Yug'. Ya won't hafta put up with it until next year, I promise." So saying, he huffed and turned to leave. "G'bye."

Yami frowned as he traced his fingers over the golden lettering on the front of the ancient book and sat down. Suddenly, he didn't feel much like celebrating.

Yugi waited until he was sure his friend was gone before stalking over to the two silent boys and slapping them each in the head with his tail. "You didn't even say thank you!"

"Ow!"

"Ngh-!"

The smaller boy crossed his arms and scowled. "Joey's got a point. I could understand you both shunning him if Joey was still pissed, but they've worked it out. Why are you being such pig-headed idiots?"

Yami rubbed the back on his head and frowned again. "…I suppose I was just disappointed to find out that he would sink so low as to claim someone against his will. He's had such an iron hold on his emotions since his parents died, I just thought…"

"Well, gee, let me think," Yugi began sarcastically. "He was there to love and nurture Mokuba, but who was there to do the same with him? I think it would be normal to be confused over what to do when you have no experience with emotions you're suddenly slapped with. And I was friends with Seto long before you met me and realized I was your Other, so I know that when I say I didn't really expect any mating he did to be completely consensual, it's the truth.

"He's spent his whole life making sure you've gotten everything you need, and that was very nice of him. But while you two were getting everything you needed—and a lot of things you didn't need but wanted—who was making sure he was getting what _he_ needed? And don't tell me you helped him out much, because I've seen the way he looks at other mated couples! Like he wants what they have but knows he'll never get it! The same look he gives Joey when Joey smiles at him and he doesn't know what else to do but smile back! And to think that he gave _you_ birthday presents and you two couldn't even manage a lousy card!"

Yami flinched. His mate was right; he'd been a jerk. _He_ of all people should have known how emotionally inept his cousin was.

"…But Serenity wants nothing to do with me because of him," Mokuba whispered, frowning.

"Serenity is your Other, and she knows she's your Other. If she still doesn't want to mate with you just because of Seto, then that's her problem, not yours. Her brother doesn't seem to mind anymore, after all." Yugi scowled and crossed his arms, tail beginning to twitch. "Something better be done about this. I'm tired of Joey giving me dirty looks whenever I visit."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Mm, I like that…" Joey purred, arching into the brunet's hand.

Seto chuckled quietly and paused to focus on one patch of scales. "I know you do. I like it, too."

The blond purred a little louder just to get the point of how _much_ he liked it across, then looked back at the older dragon suggestively. "I could rub some lotion on _your_ scales."

"Lotion makes them itch," the brunet replied absently, pouring some more lotion onto his mate's tail.

Joey blinked. Hadn't… hadn't he hinted at something at least the slightest bit erotic? Wasn't Seto supposed to stiffen, and stutter, then go on as if he hadn't said anything? …Seto was adorably oblivious sometimes. "Well, I could get some scented oil and rub it on ya."

"I do not want to smell like a flower."

The blond giggled quietly; he had a silly mate. "Would you rather smell like a fruit or vegetable? I know Ishizu has some cucumber melon or coconut."

Seto shot him an annoyed scowl. "_No_, I would not rather smell like a fruit or vegetable!"

"…Apple cinnamon? Raspberry? Cocoa butter?" Joey squealed as this only earned a smack across his bottom from the brunet's ribbed tail, then giggled again. "You're such a curmudgeon."

"I'm not trying to make my mate smell good enough to eat," the brunet mumbled, then frowned. "…Wait."

"I'll ask Ishizu for almond oil. …I think the scent of almond extract is delicious."

Seto rolled his eyes. "If you like it so much, you'll probably eat it on the way home."

"Mm. Sometimes I don't know whether I want to kill you or kiss you," the blond replied lazily, then looked over his shoulder at him again. "Do you know what day it is?"

"December first. You know that, because yesterday you took Yami his birthday gift," the brunet answered, rolling his eyes again.

Joey hummed and opened his mouth to try and flirt with him again, but was cut off by the sound of the knocker banging against the door. Someone was visiting. He moaned quietly as the older boy dragged his hands down his back to get all of the lotion off of his hands, then growled and slammed his fist onto the bed in frustration as he left the room. "Damn it!"

Seto glanced over his shoulder as he heard his mate begin to spit out curses, then turned his attention back to the front door, where the banging was getting more hurried. Opening the door, he raised his eyebrow as he found his little brother with his hand still on the large brass knocker. "…Mokuba."

Mokuba frowned, then slowly lifted his gaze from his feet. "…Seto."

"Would you like something?"

"…May I come in?" the younger boy asked after a moment.

Seto stood aside and allowed him in, then shut the door and turned back to him, frowning as he crossed his arms. "Well? You haven't talked to me in months. What reason do you have for coming now? Do you need something?"

"Well, I…" Mokuba fidgeted for a moment, then sighed. "…I came to apologize."

"I see." The brunet looked away for a moment, then looked back at his brother and nodded once. "I accept your apology."

"…But you're still hurt, aren't you?" Mokuba asked quietly, frowning.

Seto turned his head away again, frowning. Before he was forced to answer, however, his mate slid his arms around his neck, leaning in for a quick peck on the lips. "I'm gonna go visit Ishizu and get some almond oil." He paused to run his hand down the brunet's arm. "Be ready to get a rub down when I get hooome…"

The brunet raised an eyebrow, then nodded slowly. "Alright."

Joey pouted a little. "Well, don't I get a kiss goodbye?"

Seto blinked at him in confusion. The blond had been awfully touchy-feely lately. Almost… seductive. But, he'd been a good sire and had ignored everything, tamping down the desire that the blond had tried to arouse in him firmly. He'd already screwed up once, and he had no intention of forcing his mate into anything he didn't want.

So why was he acting so seductive?

"Well?" Joey repeated, brows furrowing together in concern. "…Seto?"

He blinked again in surprise. "What?"

"…Never _mind,_" the blond sighed, rolling his eyes, before lifting his head to press a quick kiss to his cheek. "I'll be back!"

"I'll be here," Seto murmured, before the black-scaled dragon slipped out the door and slammed it shut. He flinched backward as he heard the blond begin cursing again through the door. "…What did I do!"

"…You don't… know?" Mokuba asked after a moment, frowning in concern.

The brunet turned back to him in confusion. "Know what?"

"…Joey and Serenity are from a line of dragons that usually live further south, near the equator; that's why they have such dark scales. Since it's so much colder up here, he needs lots of activity to make sure he stays warm. Once a dragon like him mates, they become a great deal more…" The younger boy blushed and looked away. "…Amorous during the winter, so they can keep their body heat up."

Seto blinked at him for a few moments before asking, "So he's horny and I'm expected to help him with that?"

"…Well, you _did_ mate with him, didn't you?" Mokuba replied, raising an eyebrow at him. "So it's your job to help him keep warm during the winter." When the brunet only stared at him in response to this, he frowned again. "…What?"

"…So he _was_ flirting with me."

The younger boy rolled his eyes. "Seto, it's kind of hard to come from a family like Joey and Serenity's and not know how to flirt. Yeah, he was flirting with you."

"…Because he wants me to do him like a bunny?"

"_Dah!_ Oh, _Ra,_ make me gag! I don't need that mental image!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto blinked as his book was plucked out of his hands, then looked up in confusion, only to find his arms suddenly full of squirming mate as his mouth was attacked by a fervent tongue. "Mm!"

Joey did his best to suck the brunet's breath away and dug his hands into his hair, moaning loudly. He'd been horny for the past week, but Seto had been the dutiful sire being careful to not repeat his past transgressions, and was unwilling to touch him in a sexual manner. He was _tired_ of it. He wanted to be pounded into the bed, the wall, the floor_—_but Seto was foiling his attempts at getting pounded into _anything!_

Breaking the kiss, he took a few deep breaths and leaned back to look into the brunet's eyes. "…I got the oil."

"Mm, and I suppose—_Ow!_" Seto flinched as the blond's tail scraped against his shin. "We need to put more lotion on the end of your tail."

"Oh, did I break the skin?" Joey asked worriedly, frowning as he looked over his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I—"

"Just lay out on the bed and I'll get the lotion," the brunet sighed, rolling his eyes. "You can rub your oil on me some other time."

The younger boy mewled in disappointment but did as he was told, trudging toward the bedroom sadly. "Okay…"

Seto sighed again once he was settled on his stomach on the bed and lathered his hands with lotion, then caught the end of the blond's tail as it twitched in his irritation. "Stop moving. …I wonder if the scales on your barb get as dry as the rest of your tail…"

"I don't have scales on my barb. It's just skin—'nd it's more sensitive than the rest of my tail."

"Ah."

Seto paused. Mokuba had explained that Joey would be more amorous now, more easily aroused, and with the amount that the blond flirted with him, he assumed that soon, he'd be so frustrated he could scream. And Joey had mentioned that his barb was safe as long as he wasn't angry or afraid, and had tried to prove it to him even though he had wanted _nothing_ to do with his barb. So… he could try. He could try to keep him happy.

Joey's breath hitched as he felt the brunet grab the end of his tail and a timid brush against the sensitive skin of his barb. Turning swiftly onto his back, he moaned quietly as he saw the brunet extend his tongue to give the base of his barb a lick as he saw that it wouldn't hurt him and grew more comfortable. "Nn…! Seto, sto—you're makin' me hot, and if you're not gonna—_fuck!_" He fell back on the bed and let out a sob as the hot, wet muscle rubbed against his sensitive skin and wriggled helplessly. "S'to!"

"You should take your pants off; we wouldn't want to deal with that mess, would we?" Seto commented quietly, before turning his head to suckle at the base of the largest spike on his barb, his fingers rubbing at the other, smaller spikes gently.

"_Oh!_" Hips jerking upward, he clawed frantically at his pants and sobbed again. "Oh, Ra, you're makin' me so hot—Seto!"

The brunet hummed and lightly dragged his nail over the soft, velvety skin. "Your tail is truly sensitive, isn't it?"

"Oh, Ra, what are ya doin' t' me?" Joey sobbed, tears sliding down his cheeks. "You're tryin' t' kill me, aren't ya?"

Seto moaned quietly and skimmed his teeth over the skin, then reached up to grab his pants and ripped them open, pleased that he'd worn cotton ones instead of denim. As the blond writhed and wiggled, hips jerking upward, he moaned again and reached up to grasp his erection.

Joey jerked his hips upward again, gasping as the brunet's hand began to move up and down. "Fuck! Ra! Seto!"

"Mm… You're so pretty like that, Joey…" The older boy hummed and rubbed his thumb over the head of the blond's shaft, then finally drew the largest spike into his mouth and gave it a hearty suck.

The dual stimulation on two of his most sensitive parts after such a long time without a sexual touch was too much. Back arching as fireworks began exploding in his brain, he let out a high-pitched shriek as he reached his climax. "_SETO!_"

Seto watched as the blond's cum splattered across his stomach and growled in approval, but didn't release his tail or his cock until he went limp. Letting the spike finally slip from his lips, he leaned down and slowly laved up some of the blond's cum, smiling a little as the smaller boy began to tremble. "Was that good, sweetie?"

"Ah… yes… Did… did ya find out about…?" Joey began feebly. "'bout my body, and how it…?"

"Yes, I'm aware of your body's… _delicate_ state during the winter. I'll try my best to keep you satisfied," the brunet replied, then went back to cleaning his mate's stomach.

"…Nn…" The blond frowned. "…You're… just doin' this t' keep me satisfied? …Don't ya… don't ya _wanna_ do it with me?"

Seto looked up at him for a moment, frowning, then went back to his task of cleaning his mate. "Only if you want to do it with me."

Joey flinched. His mate still had their first time in mind. Maybe that was why he hadn't picked up on his flirtatious innuendos; he was ignoring them so he wouldn't lose control and hurt him again. "…I wanna do it with ya. I wanna do everything with ya. …I promise."

The brunet gave his stomach one last lick before he crawled up and slid his arms around the other dragon's waist. Then, he carefully tucked his wings around him. "I love you, Joey."

"…I love you too…" the blond replied quietly, curling his tail with the white one. "…I promise…"


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Oh. My. God.

I have never been so disappointed in my reviews as I was last chapter. I worked so hard on this story, and suddenly we get some smut and you guys are excited for more? Did you not notice that Seto didn't necessarily _want_ to do it? Did you not notice that he was doing it to make _Joey_ happy? Did you not notice the emotional struggle Seto is going through? Things are not all good just because they have some sort of sex.

That's why I didn't answer last chapter's reviews. **:|** I'm sorry; I was just much too upset.

* * *

Chapter 6

Serenity let out an angry screech. "_What are you doing?_"

Joey jerked upward and fell out of bed. "Ack!" He covered himself with a blanket frantically and blushed, hurriedly getting to his feet. "Serenity! Get _out!_"

Seto sat up and glanced between the two siblings, then turned and hid his head under a pillow. "Mmph."

The blond looked at his mate in concern, then turned his attention back to his sister, wings flaring outward. "Get OUT!"

The red-haired girl huffed but turned and stormed out, slamming the door shut behind her. "Fine!"

Joey glared at the door for a moment before turning back to the bed, frowning. "Seto? Are you okay?"

"I'm not leaving this bed until she's gone," Seto replied quietly. "You and your sister take as long as you need. I'll just… take a nap, or something."

The blond's brows furrowed together in concern. "Seto, it's your castle. Ya shouldn't hafta be stuck in here if ya don't wanna."

"I'm willing to wait here until you and your sister are finished with whatever you're going to do." The brunet curled his tail around to wrap around the smaller boy's waist and gave him a small squeeze. "…Maybe, when you get back, you could… rub some of that almond oil on my scales?"

Joey gasped. He'd wanted to many times before, but the older boy had never allowed it, saying that he was not interested in smelling like food or having him baby him—and his scales did _not_ need the extra moisture like the blond's did, thank-you-very-much. So why was he allowing it now?

"…Are you bribin' me, Seto?" the blond asked quietly, brows furrowing together.

Seto stayed silent for a few moments before slowly nodding his head. "Yes. Is it working?"

"I don't wanna—Seto, ya can't just—" Joey sighed loudly in frustration. "Fine. But I'm rubbing that oil on more than just your scales," he stated firmly, then leaned down and dragged his tongue over the brunet's spine, giving his ass a quick squeeze.

The older boy couldn't help a startled squeal. "Oh, you naughty little dame!"

The blond stuck his tongue out at him as he pulled on his pants and began toward the door. "Yeah, you better believe it! I'm _quite_ the ardent lover in the winter, and sometimes I just dunno what t' do with myself! I suppose my sire will just hafta help me with that!" He paused in the doorway to glance back at the other boy.

Seto let out a growl as he looked up at him. "Ra, I love you. I don't want to say hurry back, but I can honestly say that I'm almost horny enough that I might mount you."

Joey smiled brightly. For weeks, after they'd gotten intimate with each other, he'd been longing to have the brunet inside him, but the older boy had only used his hands and mouth. He had asked, had pleaded, had threatened, but Seto had always shied away from actual intercourse, even from getting on top of him and humping against him, and had tried to satisfy him with everything else. To know that Seto was secure enough to try mounting him—with or without actual intercourse—even with his insecurities about hurting him, made him feel warm and happy.

"You better go before your sister storms back in," Seto mumbled, shoving his head back under the pillow. "I'm not dealing with her."

"What? Right. Oh," he whispered, frowning in concern. Serenity must have been one of the reasons he hadn't wanted to have sex with him; she was the one still calling him a rapist to his face. "…I'll be back soon. I promise."

"Mm. Take all the time you need. If I get bored in here I'll just avoid the room you're in."

Joey scowled as soon as the door shut. His sister was one of the reasons Seto had at first been timid in his love-making. Now, she was the reason that Seto couldn't comfortably walk about his own home. On top of that, she refused to mate with her Other simply because he was related to Seto, and that also caused Seto endless pain.

His baby sister was beginning to piss him off.

Stomping into the entrance hall, he hissed softly as he found his sister eyeing one of the brighter tapestries. "Serenity. What the _hell_ do ya think ya were doin', stormin' into our bedroom? Hell, while we're at it, what are ya doin' just stormin' into the castle? We were taught to _knock_ and _wait politely!_"

"I did knock, and I did wait politely—at least for a little while. Then I got worried that your… _mate…_ might be holding you against your will or raping you again, so I let myself in." She turned toward him and scowled, placing her hands on her hips. "I just don't see how you can stand to share a room with him, let alone a bed! Isn't this the same man who raped you!"

"Yeah, and I'm pretty close t' rapin' him myself," he snarled. "You're one of the reasons he won't have sex with me. _You_ know how horny we get in the winter; I need more than his mouth and hands! I can't see how you're not goin' crazy without a mate!"

"I keep doing obstacle courses," Serenity replied flippantly, then scowled again. "And if you think I'm going to mate with Mokuba while that _rapist_ is still alive, you're insane!"

"…Get. Out," Joey growled, hands clenching into fists. His little sister's disregard for her Other's feelings shocked him—and infuriated him.

He'd wished desperately to find his Other, even after Seto had forcefully mated with him, and he still felt badly for withholding his love and affection from his poor mate when all he wanted was a kind word or a smile. He'd never imagined that his feelings for his Other could be so intense—doubly so for Seto, who had been originally starved of both love and physical affection and hadn't had any idea what to do when they'd come up and slapped him in the face. For Serenity to know that someone was her Other and was simply disregarding his feelings because of a grudge that he'd already worked hard to get past himself made him burn with fury at her callousness.

She frowned in confusion at the sudden dismissal, then scowled again. "I shouldn't have to—I'm here to see my brother, after all!"

"Your brother doesn't wanna see ya, ya selfish, spoiled little brat!" he roared, and his wings slapped together loudly. "I can't believe how much ya don't care about your Other! Mokuba had nothin' t' do with Seto and me! I didn't even know Seto _had_ a brother until he came to get the rest of his inheritance! All he wants is t' make ya happy and ya won't let him because of somethin' Seto and me have already worked past! So stop comin' here and dredgin' up Seto's guilt! At this rate, I'm never gonna get laid! Get out! _GET OUT!_" His wings slapped together again as his tail began lashing back and forth.

Serenity took a step back nervously. She'd never been afraid of her brother before, but then he'd also never slapped his wings at her. Here, he'd slapped his wings at her twice. She decided it was in her best interest to flee before he actually lashed out at her.

Joey watched his sister go angrily, then let out a growl. If she hadn't mated with Mokuba by the end of the month, he was going to go tell his brother-in-law to forget about her and set his sights on someone else, no matter how much it hurt. His sister was a jealous, over-protective person by nature, so his attempts in courting anyone else would rile her up and she'd come running—pissed as hell, but when she saw how rundown and emotionally exhausted Mokuba was, she'd go into motherly-mode and begin to baby him.

He shivered a little and turned to make his way back to the bedroom. He was already beginning to get cold. He'd never realized how cold he got before; that was the downside of having a mate, but it was quickly made up for with the fact that his mate would be glad to warm him up again.

He frowned in confusion when he saw Seto standing in the hallway nearby, hand against the wall as he stared down at his feet. He'd gotten up. Why? "…Seto?"

Seto's hand slipped down the wall, and he slowly lifted tired, sad blue eyes to meet his. "…I haven't been satisfying you?"

Joey blushed. "W-what are ya doin' here?"

"I thought I'd make breakfast for you while you were talking with your sister, because I got tired of just lying in bed. …I… I haven't been satisfying you sexually?" He frowned, brows furrowing together; he'd thought he'd been doing so well, and now he was learning that his mate wasn't fully satisfied with him.

The blond blushed a little more and glanced away, twisting his fingers anxiously. "W-well, I like what ya do, but it… it's not enough. …I… I want ya inside me."

It wasn't enough.

He was a bad mate.

Seto turned his gaze back to the floor and began to walk past him. "I'll go make your breakfast."

"Seto—Seto, wait—" Joey reached out to grab his arm, but he seemed to slither from his fingers every time he caught him. "Seto, it's not that _you_ don't satisfy me, I just—I need more! _Seto!_" He rushed around him to cut him off and hurriedly grabbed his shoulders before he could leave again. "Listen t' me!"

"…I don't want to take you," Seto stated quietly. "I took you against your will the first time; I don't want to take you again."

The blond frowned. "…Never?"

"…Maybe never," he affirmed, then pushed him away gently. "I'll keep using my hands and mouth. …You won't have to worry about doing the same for me."

Joey bit his bottom lip and turned to watch him go, tears filling his eyes as he realized he'd hurt his mate again. He thought he didn't like to return his touches—to please him. He liked nothing more than seeing his mate purring and grinning like an idiot as he licked him or stroked him. He loved knowing that he could make the white dragon squirm. Now… Seto probably wouldn't let him even if he saw that he wanted to.

He was such a fool.

Scampering after him, he wrapped his tail around the brunet's and nuzzled into his shoulder. "Seto, please—let's talk about this—"

"You could have just _told_ me I didn't do enough for you," Seto growled, trying to twist his tail free. "I would have found some way to help you."

"You don't need to _find_ a way, Seto! Ya already _know!_ Ya just won't _do it!_" Joey exclaimed in frustration. "You _know_ I want ya in me but ya do everything else and pretend ya _don't_ know that I want ya t' pound me into the sheets! So let me make this clear for ya: I want your dick up my ass!"

"I don't _want_ to have sex with you!" the brunet snarled, spinning toward him. He let out a growl as he saw the hurt expression on the younger boy's face and jerked his head away angrily. "…It's not that… It's not that you're not attractive. There are so many times I've wanted to, but I just… I can't… touch you the way you want me to." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "…I try to, but I can't… I just keep remembering the first time and I don't want to hurt you."

The blond reached out to brush his hand against his shoulder timidly. "But… but I could show ya. I could just show ya where you can touch me."

The white dragon let out a high-pitched whine as the blond reached for his hands. "I don't want to hurt you again."

Joey frowned and looked up at him pleadingly. "Seto, ya won't hurt me! Just, _please—_" He blushed as his stomach suddenly rumbled, voice dying in his throat as the brunet's face twisted into an amused little smile; that sound was definitely not conducive in seducing his mate. "…Don't look at me like that!"

"I believe we should put something in _here—_" Seto poked the blond's stomach playfully. "Before we even _think_ about putting something anywhere else."

"But—"

Seeing that he wouldn't be swayed that easily, the brunet rolled his eyes. "Joey, you're grumpy when you're hungry. Could you just do me a favor and eat something so you _don't_ end up biting my head off in frustration?"

Joey sighed and leaned his head against his shoulder. "…Fine."

"_Thank_ you." Seto ruffled his hair for a moment before leaning down and placing a kiss on his forehead. "I promise we'll talk after breakfast."

"Okay. …You said you'd let me rub almond oil on you!" the blond exclaimed, smiling up at him brightly. "Remember?"

"That was only if you got back before I got up," the older boy replied, turning to walk away. He waited for a moment, then smirked as his mate let out a frustrated screech.

.-.-.-.-.-.

As soon as Joey had shoved the last of his pancakes into his mouth, he turned and looked at the brunet expectantly. "So?"

"So what? –Oh." Seto frowned and scratched back of his head, then sighed and scooted back from the table, holding out an arm and motioning for his mate to sit in his lap. "Over here."

The blond settled himself on the older boy's lap, then laid his head on his shoulder and sighed. "I love you."

"I love you, too." The white dragon took a few moments to kiss his exposed throat, then leaned their foreheads together, smiling as the blond lifted his head just enough to brush noses with him. "So. Make your case."

"I want ya t' put—" Joey blushed and ducked his head a little. "…I want ya t' use… That is… I need more than your mouth and hands. I _like_ when ya use your mouth and hands!" he added quickly when he saw the brunet frown. "It's just… it's just not enough sometimes." He ducked his head again in shame. "I know ya don't wanna. I get that. But… but I need more!"

Seto lifted a hand to begin carding his fingers through the younger boy's hair, then hugged him tightly, sighing in frustration. "I _want_ to touch you. I _want_ to be inside you. But every time I try, my body just freezes up, and I don't know whether I'm allowed to touch you that way or not. I've never seen mates intimate with each other and my parents weren't alive long enough to teach me those things. I know you like it when I stroke you and use my mouth, but… but I don't know what else I can do, considering that I forced myself on you the first time and you refused to have anything to do with me."

Joey nuzzled his neck quickly, mewing as he pressed little kisses against his jaw. "Oh, Seto! You can do anything ya want t' me!" When the brunet let out a confused rumble, he sighed and laid his head on his shoulder again. "Do ya want me t' show ya where you're allowed t' touch me?" He smiled as the older boy nodded and kissed his cheek. "I'll show ya tonight when we go t' bed. You can show me where you think you're allowed t' touch me, and then I'll show ya where if I think ya missed some spots, okay?"

The brunet nodded again and held him tighter. "I just don't want you mad at me again. I don't think I could go through that pain a second time—especially after knowing what it feels like to have you love me back. Don't make me go through that again, Joey."

Flinching at the reminder of his own cruelty, the younger boy began to nuzzle the white dragon's neck and pet his shoulders and chest. "I'm sorry, Seto. I didn't mean t' hurt ya. I'm sorry." He whined when the brunet grabbed one of his hands and began kissing it, then lifted his face to place little kisses along his jaw and chin.

Eventually, their lips met, and Joey gently stroked the brunet's cheek as he slid his tongue into his mouth. "Mm…" He squeaked quietly as the older boy held him tightly, as if afraid he might run away, then whined into the white dragon's mouth before breaking the kiss. "I'm not gonna go anywhere. I promise, Seto. You're my Other."

Seto rumbled quietly, brows furrowing together, then hugged him again and nuzzled his stomach. "I'm just so afraid you'll hate me again if I do the wrong thing. I don't want you to hate me. You smile at me and you kiss me and touch me and I like it. No one else has ever made me feel as loved as you do. Don't take it away. I think I might die."

The blond whined quietly, tail twitching. His mate was still terrified that he'd leave him… He'd been hurt too badly in the past to trust his words completely, no matter how much he wanted to. "Seto, please believe me. I wouldn't ever hate you like that again—"

The older boy let out a pained roar as the blond's tail scraped across his lower leg when it began waving more violently in agitation. "Son of a _bitch!_ WHY ARE YOUR SCALES SO DRY?"

Joey looked down at his leg and winced as he saw the bloody scratches. "I don't _know_—I try t' keep 'em lotioned up—"

"They're so pretty but they're so _painful!_"

"Seto I'm so sorry!" the blond exclaimed, covering his cheeks in embarrassment. "I-I don't mean to! I'll go ask Yug' for somethin', okay? Just—just calm down!"

"_Ra._ It must be something with the climate…" Seto sighed loudly, then frowned, reaching out to grasp the younger boy's shoulders. "I know you don't mean to do it, Joey. I'm sorry I got so mad." He brushed his thumbs up the blond's neck and sighed. "It must be that it's not as humid up here. I'm sorry I yelled. It just… really hurts when my skin is grated off."

"I'm so sorry!" Joey repeated, covering his face. "I don't mean to! I'm so sorry!"

The brunet growled quietly in frustration. "Stop apologizing. It's not your fault that your scales dry out quickly."

"It's just—It's just that ya do so much to make sure they don't dry out and stay healthy and then I just hurt ya with 'em!"

"…You don't _mean_ to, though, Joey, and that makes it okay." Seto slid his hand down the blond's tail a few times, then looked up at him and frowned, biting his bottom lip. "…If you… want… I'll let you rub your almond oil on me after I lotion up your tail."

"_Really?_" Joey squealed, looking up at him and clasping his hands together in delight. "You'd _really_ let me rub almond oil on ya?"

The brunet had a feeling he'd really regret this, all of the sudden. "…Yes…?"

"Oh, Seto, you'll love it, I promise!" The black dragon rubbed up against him and cooed. "I'll make it so good for you!"

"…Oh… Goodie…" Seto sighed and turned his gaze away. "I suppose that's fair. I won't promise I'll like it, but I'll promise not to squirm too much."

Joey frowned at him and tilted his head. "…Why are ya so against me rubbin' oil on ya? Ya rub lotion on me all the time—'nd not just my scales."

"…Nobody… ever… just touched me, growing up. Mokuba was always so active, running around everywhere and traveling with my parents so much… And my parents were gone so often, too, that I can barely remember being held and hugged and kissed." The brunet closed his eyes and leaned his head against the smaller teen's shoulder. "During challenges for my treasure, the only touches I got were painful. And then after the challenges, the people trying to become my mate only touched me because they wanted something from me. If I let you touch me like that, I… I don't know what it _means._"

The blond sighed and began to stroke his hair. "Oh, Seto… It doesn't mean anything but 'I love you.'" He paused to nuzzle his ear. "Just like when ya rub lotion on me. Ya don't hafta, and I don't need ya to 'cause I can do it myself and you know it; ya do it anyway because ya _want_ to. I just wanna do the same thing for you."

Seto looked up at him skeptically, then slowly nodded his head. "All right. …I'll try… not to act like too much of a kit."

"Aw, but you're so cute when you squirm…" Joey cooed, pinching his cheek playfully, only to let out a startled yelp as the brunet slapped his ass with his tail. "_Ack!_"

The older boy scowled at him. "Sometimes, Joey, you just ask for it."

"Nyooo! So mean!" the blond mewed, rubbing the spot that the ribbed tail had slapped.


	7. Chapter 7

Dear Readers,

Please know that if I didn't appreciate you, I wouldn't post my stories. It is _because_ I appreciate your thoughts that I post. You help me to grow as a writer, and I appreciate that, because I can look back at past stories and see how much I've improved. I didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings. I didn't mean to insult anybody. I just wanted you all to understand that _I_ was hurt when people were more concerned with the smut than the actual growing relationship. I have spent _months_ working on what I have of this story, and I'm not even finished yet, not to mention all of the homework I have and the weird hours I work that keep me from getting too far into any project that isn't for school.

I love you guys to death, but some people seem to think that I'm a smut machine. While I must admit that I _do_ enjoy writing smut scenes, I am a human being as well. It takes time to write stories, and while I like to think I'm pretty good off the top of my head, some stories do take a lot of thought before they're written, as they're being written, and even _after_ they've been written. Besides, not everything can be smut; I'm a romantic at heart and I love innocent little moments and developing relationships as much as I like sex between two people (hopefully) in love.

Please don't express anger or disappointment when I don't go into a smut scene. While I'm more than happy to accept a suggestion or two, I'm taking the time to write out my ideas to share them with you, and it hurts my feelings to know that you aren't satisfied simply because I was writing what _I_ wanted to and not what _you_ wanted me to. I sincerely apologize to those of you that had nothing to do with my author's note last chapter. I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I was lashing out because _I_ was hurt, and I admit that wasn't fair to a lot of you.

Sincerely,

Reizbar-Ookami

* * *

Chapter 7

Joey snarled and punched the wall angrily. "I hate you!"

"…You're not pushing it right—" Seto began, only to be immediately hushed by a glare.

"I'll figure it out myself! Okay!"

The brunet frowned and crossed his arms as he watched his mate get angry all over again and begin bashing the wall with his tail among violent curses. After another few moments, he tried again. "If you just push—"

"I _said_ I'd figure it out!"

Seto snorted in annoyance, then reached out for the blond's wrist. "Yes, after you _injure_ yourself."

Joey let out a small whine. "But Seto, I wanna—" He blushed as the brunet directed his hand to the only brick that hadn't suffered from his tail. "…Oh."

"Yes, _that_ one. Why are you so adamant on getting to our treasure, anyway? It's the same as it's always been."

"I just—I want—Ugh! I missed your birthday and I've been makin' somethin' for your next one and I need some more rubies and sapphires, okay?" Joey exclaimed, blushing a little as he crossed his arms and looked away.

Seto frowned. "You don't have to do that, Joey. I'm perfectly happy not getting a gift from you as long as I can snuggle with you instead."

"I _know_ that!" The blond glared at him in frustration. "I _wanna_ give ya gift! I'm not doin' it 'cause I feel I hafta! I'm doin' it 'cause I _wanna_ do it!"

"…Oh." The brunet tilted his head and blinked at him, brows furrowing in confusion. "…Just because you want to?"

At that, the black dragon frowned. "Yeah. Just 'cause I want to."

"…If you say so," Seto conceded, crossing his arms. "I suppose if you really want to, I can't stop you. I'll admit I don't really understand, but then I've only ever gotten gifts from family, or people trying to become my mate, so you just _wanting_ to give me a gift is a new concept. I'm sorry I don't understand."

Joey whined and reached out for his hands. "Seto… You'll get used to it. I promise. I'm gonna give you so many things just 'cause I can!"

The brunet smiled a little. "You don't have to do that just because it's new to me. If you spoil me too much, it will lose its impact, and I won't understand it the way you want me to. …Thank you, Joey. No one's ever done something so… caring for me before."

The younger boy whined again and hugged him tightly, tail twitching in aggravation. "Nyaa, Setooo… I love ya t' pieces…!"

Seto frowned and allowed the blond to nuzzle and kiss him. Was he really that pitiful in light of social norms? "…Do I get to know what you're going to give me?"

At that, the blond pulled away, hands on his hips and glaring as if offended. "It wouldn't be a surprise if ya knew what it was, Seto."

"…But I don't like surprises," he deadpanned.

Joey huffed and turned to saunter into the passage to their treasure, nose in the air at the brunet's ignorance. "You'll _learn_ to like them, then."

Seto watched the door close behind him and blinked innocently. What? He was old enough to know what he did and didn't like, and he knew that he was happy with things; he didn't want to learn to like anything!

…He was getting grumpy and the blond wasn't even here to deal with him. Humph.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Oil time!" Joey clasped his hands together and smiled brightly, nearly bouncing in his excitement. "I wanna do it on the bed!"

Despite his want to be a good mate, Seto's head fell forward in defeat. He didn't know what to expect from this. He just knew this was going to be a new experience, and he didn't know how he'd react; he didn't want to upset his mate, but he didn't want to hurt him by mistake if he got uncomfortable and started swinging his tail around.

But, he obediently followed his dame out of the library and back to their room, where he was directed to strip, lie out on his stomach, and spread his wings flat on the bed. He tried to relax as much as he could and let his eyes drift closed as he listened to his mate move around behind him.

Thus, he let out a surprisingly painful-sounding grunt when the blond sprang on top of him. "_Ngh._"

"Sorry!" Joey squeaked hurriedly, placing his knees down so he wasn't crushing him. "Sorry. I didn't realize, and—sorry." When the brunet only grunted again, he bit his bottom lip, then poured a little of the almond oil in his hands and rubbed them together. "Could ya try and relax a little more?"

Seto let out a rumble of annoyance. "I'm as relaxed as I can be. I'm sorry."

"Well, I guess I'll have to fix that, then." The blond flexed his fingers a few times before pressing his hands against the older boy's shoulders, digging his fingers into the tense muscles he found there.

The white dragon let out a stream of unintelligible curses and went boneless. He'd never felt anything like this, having his muscles forced to relax when he'd become quite used to them always being tense. This was some sort of trickery that the dragons down south must use to make their sires docile and unable to do anything but bend to their whims! He called shenanigans!

Joey smiled as he heard the brunet begin to purr deep in his chest, feeling it rumble deep through his body until he felt the light vibrations traveling through his own thighs and tail, which he'd curled around the brunet's white one. "Does that feel good, Seto?"

"…Fuckshithelldamnargh…" Seto let out a quiet whine as his nose was filled with the scent of almond, relaxing him even further as his mate began kneading his back, rubbing out all of the knotted muscles. "Nnnn…" He winced as the younger boy dug his fingers into a particularly hard knot, then let out a roar of pain. "That _hurts!_"

"Of course it hurts! It's the hardest muscle cramp I've ever seen!" The blond scowled as he worked at the particular knot. "Seto, have you been tense since ya were born? Holy shit! It's like massagin' a brick wall!"

The brunet let out another whine—confused, this time, and hurt. "You said it wouldn't hurt-!"

"I didn't know how stiff you'd be! I swear, Seto, this is for your own good!"

Seto tightened his hands into fists, gripping the blankets tightly as he tried desperately not to buck his mate off and scamper away. How was he supposed to feel now? His dame had promised it would feel good, but it _hurt_—it hurt so badly—and all he wanted to do was crawl under the bed and never come out, especially when the blond dug his fingers in harder.

Joey tried his best to get the pain over with as quickly as he could. He'd promised Seto that he wasn't going to hurt him, so he especially regretted doing this to him. But then he felt the muscle begin to relax, the knot getting smaller. He was greatly relieved when the brunet began to loosen up, body going slack again as the pain began to fade.

"Seto? Are ya okay now?"

"…You hurt me." The brunet whined quietly. "And now I can't move."

The younger boy took a moment to kiss the back of his neck, then dribbled a little more oil on his back to rub it in. "'m sorry, Seto," he cooed, before placing another kiss on his neck. "I didn't wanna hurt ya, but I needed t' rub that out. I promise."

He whined again. "Can't move…!"

"You shouldn't be movin' anyway, Seto. I'm still rubbin' this oil on ya."

Seto mewed quietly. "Is it always going to hurt like that…?"

Joey blinked at him for a moment, then smiled brightly at the thought that Seto would let him do this again. "Oh, no! If I keep doin' this, ya can't get as tense, and it won't hurt!"

"…Okay," the brunet replied, sighing. "I guess… if it won't hurt like that…" He grunted quietly as the black dragon's fingers slid down his spine. "Mm… I… I don't mind doing this again, I guess. If it makes you happy. Ngh-!" He mewed as the blond's hands slowed to a stop, rubbing gentle circles on his back, then turned his head to look at him. "…I… I want to make you feel good, too, Joey. But… what am I allowed to do after that?" he asked quietly, brows furrowing together. "You were so kind to me when you touched me, even when it hurt… I want to make you feel like that, too. Where do I touch you to do that?"

"…Let me show you," Joey purred, sitting up straight, then grabbed the brunet's hands.

The white dragon tilted his head as his hands were directed to rest at the blond's waist, then hummed in surprise as one of his hands was slid around to the base of the younger boy's tail. "Here?"

"I _love_ when you stroke where my scales meet my skin," the blond moaned, arching into his fingers as they began stroking the spot tenderly. "Nyoooo…! Feels so _good!_" He gasped quietly when the older boy lightly dug his nails into his skin, dragging them across the sensitive scales beside it, then groaned helplessly and fell limp in his arms. "Oh Ra Seto that's so good!"

Seto scratched his scales lightly and nuzzled his throat. "Show me somewhere else that you like to be touched. Please?"

"I like when you touch… _here…_" Joey mewed, grabbing his hands and drawing them to his thighs, pressing his hands between them. "Like when ya rub 'em and nibble 'em—"

"You like when I nibble them?" the brunet asked quietly, reaching a hand up to undo the tie of his pants so he could pull them down. "I don't nibble them that often, though."

The younger boy squirmed and looked up at him pleadingly. "I wish you'd nibble them more. I like when ya leave little marks there."

Seto hummed quietly in surprise. "You like when I leave my little love-bites on you? But you always get so embarrassed…"

"But I like seein' that I'm yours," Joey cooed, then pressed up against him. "I'd like it if you left love-bites in other places, too. Like on my chest, or my neck and shoulders…"

The brunet tilted his head, eyes narrowing playfully. "What about a nice big one on your ass?"

"Wha-!" The younger boy blushed, then turned his head away in embarrassment, tail twitching a little as the brunet's nails scratched lightly across his scales. "…W-well, I suppose… I suppose if ya really wanna…" He peered up at the white dragon bashfully, then turned onto his hands and knees. Turning his head to glance back at his surprised mate, he wiggled his hips and lifted his tail out of the way.

Seto let out a rumble of confusion. "Really? I was just kidding. You… you really don't mind?"

The blond bit his bottom lip, then nodded slowly. "Yes. I'm sure I don't mind." He peeked back at the brunet and offered him an encouraging smile. "Really. In fact… I'd really like it if ya did."

The older boy whined in the back of throat. "Well… If… if you're _sure,_ then I guess I don't mind doing it…" He grasped the black dragon's hips gently, leaning down to brush his cheek against the base of his tail before gently nuzzling against the blond's soft rump. He brushed his lips over it, smiling a little when he heard the blond keen, then began licking and nibbling softly.

Joey keened again, forcing himself to keep from squirming. "Seto, it's gonna take _forever_ if ya do it like that. …Pretend you're kissin' my neck or something, okay?"

The brunet rumbled again, unsure of whether he wanted to continue. When he heard the younger boy mew sweetly in encouragement, however, he tightened his grip on the blond's hips and began kissing and sucking harder, kneading the blond's other cheek as he began to suck on what he deemed the perfect spot. He suckled at the spot gently, leaning back every few moments to check how dark it was, before finally deciding it was gorgeous and didn't need any more attention.

Joey peeked back at him and tilted his head. "Finished?"

"Yes." Seto tilted his head, eyeing the dark hickey on the pale skin of the blond's backside, then smiled a little. "I think it's beautiful."

The blond blushed and smiled shyly. "I'll take your word for it." He paused, then nervously bit his bottom lip. "…Will… will ya put your fingers in me, Seto?" He heard the older boy whine in complaint and flinched a little. "I know ya don't wanna, but… but my fingers aren't as long as yours, and… and I'd really like t' feel them in me."

"…But…" The white dragon whined worriedly, petting the blond's hips, then sat back and drew the smaller boy's hips closer. "…What if I…?"

Joey whimpered. "Please? I'll tell ya how, step by step." He could see the uncertainty in his mate's eyes, and he desperately wished that his sire didn't feel so apprehensive at the thought of sex, but he understood why he was so hesitant and nervous.

Seto's eyebrows twitched together for a moment, an expression of complete and utter despair at being unable to please his mate flashing for only a few seconds. After that, though, he sighed in defeat and nodded slowly. "Okay. Um… how do I…?"

"Ya gotta get 'em wet first," the younger boy explained, then turned so he was facing him. He drew the brunet's hand to his face and extended his tongue to lightly flick at the tips of his fingers, then mewled in surprise as the white dragon suddenly took some initiative and shoved his fingers in his mouth. However, he began sucking on them without a qualm, swirling his tongue to slather them with saliva.

Seto whined quietly. "You're only licking my fingers and I'm already getting hard."

Joey gently grasped his arm and moaned around his fingers. Looking up at the brunet with dark eyes, he released his fingers long enough to say, "That's a normal reaction, considerin' what we're doin'. I'm hard, too." Then, he drew his fingers back into his mouth.

The older boy glanced down and hummed quietly when he found that his mate was telling the truth, then reached out to gently stroke it. "So pretty. My pretty mate."

Tilting his head back to moan, the blond arched into the grip on his shaft and whimpered. "Oh Ra, Seto…! Nn, fingers—now—" He whined when he felt the white dragon's fingertips at his entrance and leaned back to better present himself. "Put them in—Please, please—_Nyu!_"

Seto slid one finger in slowly, still unsure about touching his mate in such a way even after so long since their first time. "Like this?"

"Yes, just like that-!" Joey struggled to keep from bucking down onto his finger, even as his body told him to move and warm up. "Move it a little-! In 'nd out! Around! Just—ah!"

The brunet frowned and began moving his finger slightly. "Is this right?"

The younger boy mewed and rolled his hips a couple of times, then forced himself to still again. "Yes! That's right! Nn! Put another one in! Please! Two!"

"Are you sure-?" When the blond only whimpered and raised his hips wantonly, he slid a second finger in and began moving them back and forth slowly. "Like this?"

"Ra, yes! Longer than mine—yes, yes, _yes!_" Joey squirmed a little before beginning to rock his hips, unable to fight his body's want for movement so he could stay warm in this cool climate. He mewed appreciatively as the brunet's fingers stroked over his special spot. "Nngh-! Yes! More! –Want more!"

"More?" Seto hesitated, then wiggled a third finger in. "More, like… this?"

"No—Want more in me—want ya in me—please put it in me!" The blond arched his back and whimpered again. "I can handle it, please—just do me! Please!"

"But… But I don't… Should I really…" He stilled his fingers awkwardly. "Are you sure?"

"Ra, yes, Seto! Just put it in me! Now!" Joey jerked his hips in frustration when he realized his fingers weren't moving. "Seto-!"

"…But I don't really…"

Growing frustrated with his lack of sexual satisfaction, the black dragon roared, "PENIS! NOW!"

The brunet whined uncomfortably, but he didn't want to say 'no' again and possibly upset him at such a crucial point in their relationship—not to mention that it would _definitely_ ruin the mood. He'd done some research on southern dragons, and he'd found that during their… lustful stage in winter, which resulted in more agitation if they weren't satisfied. So, he pulled his fingers out and positioned himself between his legs to thrust into him. "All right."

The blond mewed in delight as the older boy finally—finally!—thrust into him. "Yes! More!"

"…All right," the brunet repeated, gripping the blankets in his hands tightly as he withdrew and thrust back into his writhing mate.

Joey arched his back and moaned as he hooked his legs over the brunet's hips. "Oh! Yes! Seto! Just a little bit further and—_Yes!_" He reached up to grab his shoulders and let out another sob. "Seto! Seto!"

Seto tightened his grip on the blankets as he saw tears beginning to roll down the blond's cheeks. When he started bleating and whimpering, he felt his claws pierce the cloth to dig into his palms. He felt horrible—he was a bad mate—he was hurting him again, but he couldn't stop—every time he tried, the younger boy made another cute noise of satisfaction, and he just couldn't bring himself to end it. Unclenching one of his hands, he closed his eyes tightly and reached down to grab the other boy's erection.

The blond jerked his hips upward with a helpless whine and dug his nails into the older boy's shoulders. "Oh! Ra! Please! Don't make me—Not yet—" He sobbed as the brunet tightened his grip on his shaft and shook his head quickly. "No! Please!" He let out a helpless screech as a few more strikes to the special spot inside of him broke his control and forced him to climax. "_Seto!_"

Seto grunted as the blond clamped down on him and closed his eyes tightly as it seemed to force his own climax. Shuddering, he dug his teeth into his bottom lip and stiffened. Once he relaxed, he looked down at the blond and sighed, then frowned.

Joey was completely limp, eyes half-closed as he tried to catch his breath. His hands had fallen back to the bed, his claws tipped in blood from digging into his shoulders. His chest was heaving from the physical exertion he'd just been put through, even as his body still trembled with aftershocks.

He looked so much like the first time, so much like when he'd raped him. He was a horrible mate for doing this to him, for making him act like this. He should have been gentler, should have just held back to begin with. Why? Why was he always hurting his mate? And he could still remember the last words, and they broke his heart.

"_No… Please… Seto!"_

Joey mewed as the older boy pulled out of him and looked up at him lovingly, but his sated smile soon faded into a frown as he watched the brunet get up and begin to pace. "…Seto?"

Seto flinched, then turned toward the door quickly. "I'll be right back—"

"But Seto—" The blond sat up in confusion as he left, brows furrowing together as the door slammed shut after him. After a moment, he sighed and got up to go clean himself, deciding that Seto needed a little time to himself, since he'd said before that he may never do it, but had finally given in. As he pumped water into the bathtub, however, he realized something was terribly wrong.

His cock was covered in blood. And it wasn't his.

When had Seto hurt himself? Why! How! And how'd he get it on _him?_ Was he injured? How badly was he hurt!

Dashing from the bathroom, Joey paused only long enough to pull on a pair of pants before he rushed out the door. He had no idea where to go, though. Where would Seto go if he was hurt, other than their bedroom?

—Probably his old bedroom, so he could wallow in his guilt and self-pity.

Joey sprinted for the brunet's old bedroom and threw the door open. What he found horrified him.

Seto had flayed his own back open and was dripping blood onto the stone floor like a fountain. He was still whipping his tail against his back, even though there was little skin left to shred there, and was making no effort to even check if his wounds were healing properly underneath the onslaught. He was going to kill himself like that!

Rushing into the room, the blond hurriedly tangled his tail with the blood-streaked white one, keeping him from hitting himself again. "Seto! What the hell do ya think you're doin'? You could kill yourself like this-!"

Seto let out a pathetic rumble. "I'm a bad mate."

"I'll say, tryin' t' kill yourself-!"

"I hurt you again." He whined quietly. "I hurt you and I said I wouldn't. I'm a bad mate."

Joey frowned and hurriedly yanked him into a hug. "Oh, Seto. Ya didn't hurt me. I was happy. Ya didn't need t' do this t' yourself."

"…But you cried. You cried like the first time I took you—" the older boy began, but the blond tightened his hold on him and began to cry again.

"I love ya, Seto. I was cryin' because I was happy t' have my mate make love t' me. I wasn't hurt. Ya didn't hurt me. I was okay, I promise. Ya didn't need t' punish yourself for this." The blond began to stroke his hair slowly, nuzzling his shoulder and pressing quick kisses along his neck. "I'm sorry I made ya think ya hurt me. I was just so happy. I'm sorry."

Seto whined again. "I'm sorry. …I'm sorry…" He whined as the blond brushed his fingers against the nape of his neck. "I'm sorry."

"Ra, look at all this blood—Seto, we need t' get ya t' see Yug'," the younger boy stated, beginning to stand. "Can ya fly? I—Oh. Oh _Ra._" He felt his blood run cold as he saw the bases of the brunet's wings; he'd shredded the flesh down to the bone. He would never be able to fly like that.

"…Should I try?" the wounded dragon asked after a moment, frowning. "Joey?"

"Ra, no! Just—Oh, Ra, what do I—Ya know what! We're gonna—I'll just—Stay here!" Joey ordered, then sprinted back to their room.

He covered the bed with a few sheets, then laid a trail of towels from the bed to the door, so Seto wouldn't have to worry about blood on the carpet. Then, he rushed back to the other room. Could Seto even walk that far? Would he be carrying him? Would he have to drag him? How was he supposed to do this without help?

Seto was leaning in the doorway, frowning in confusion. "Joey? How bad is it? …I can't feel any pain. I think I shredded the nerves."

_He couldn't feel any pain!_

"…Joey?" he repeated after a moment, growing more concerned. "…Is it that bad?"

Did he not feel the blood dripping down his legs? Did he not see the puddles he'd left behind!

Deciding that he'd scold him later, he hooked the brunet's arm over his shoulders. "No, no. It's not that bad. We just need t' get ya t' the bedroom, is all. So that ya can lay down while I go get Yug'. Can ya walk that far?"

"Why wouldn't I be able to?" Seto asked after a moment, then turned to glance over his shoulder.

Joey caught his chin and yanked him down into a kiss; if he saw how much blood he'd lost, he might go into shock. Once the brunet finally got over being kissed out of the blue and began to kiss him back, he broke the kiss and smiled weakly. "No reason. …Just… Hold onto me, 'kay? I like havin' your arm around me."

The brunet tilted his head skeptically, then hugged him closer with the arm still around his shoulders. "I don't believe that's all. But all right."

"Then you're learning," the younger boy replied flippantly, placing another kiss on his chin before leading him toward the bedroom. "I want ya t' stay still while I'm gone, okay? Yug' 'll get mad if ya don't. 'nd I promise we'll have a long talk when I get home, about everything. Does that sound okay t' you?"

"…Do I have a choice?" Seto asked after a moment. When the blond shot him a dirty look, he sighed and nodded obediently. "Yes, _dear._"

Joey shot him another dirty look before leading him back to the bedroom and laying him on the bed. "Stay here. Don't move, okay?"

"Why can't I move?" the brunet asked, glancing up at him skeptically.

The younger boy fought the urge to begin spitting curses. "…Because I'm not medically inclined and I like seein' you alive."

Seto blinked at him, stunned, then laid his head on his arms and closed his eyes; he hadn't realized he'd hurt himself that badly. "I shall await your return. …Whether I'm awake at the time will be debatable."

"Just… try your best to stay awake?" the blond pleaded quietly. "…I really need ya t' stay awake, Seto…"

The brunet's head jerked upward slightly at the statement, then relaxed again. "I'll try."

Joey nibbled his bottom lip. "…Thank you, Seto. If it helps, try t' think about why ya got so upset, and we'll talk when I get home."

"…I will try to be awake and waiting when you return."


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: REWROTE. THIS ENTIRE. CHAPTER. XC FUCK CRAPPING-OUT HARDDRIVES.

* * *

Chapter 8

Joey wrung his hands anxiously as his friend finally stepped out of the bedroom. "Is he gonna be okay? He was in pretty bad shape when I left him!"

Yugi sighed and crossed his arms. "Well, I covered the bases of his wings with a paste to make the flesh grow back faster, and I covered his back with it, too, but I don't really know how long it will take for them to heal. He'll need to sleep on his stomach." He paused, then glanced up at the blond hesitantly. "I know it's none of my business, but what happened that would make him want to punish himself that much?"

"He… he thought he raped me again," the taller dragon muttered, looking down at his feet. "…I think it traumatized him more than it traumatized me. He just kept whippin' his tail against his back… I thought he was tryin' to kill himself…"

"Seto has a way of… overreacting to his mistakes, especially if he thinks that mistake has hurt someone else. You see, he has so few relationships with other people that he clings to the ones he has. He probably had no idea he'd been hurting himself so badly; he just wanted to hurt himself as much as he thought he hurt you." Yugi sighed again. "He's got to stay off his back if he ever wants it to heal. Help him with that. Try to make sure he doesn't move too much. He can sit up, too, but _keep him off his back._" He paused, then smirked a little. "That's where you're supposed to be, after all."

Joey gasped and covered his blushing cheeks in embarrassment. "_Yugi!_ After what I just told you!"

"Get him to understand that he's not hurting you," he continued seriously. "I don't care how. Get him to touch you. Get him to realize that it's okay if he wants to do sexual things to you. He's held back for so long that he doesn't know what he's allowed to do with you. He realizes mentally that you want him to do everything, but emotionally, he's unaware of what to do. He can only guess, and take in your reactions."

"…You want me t' teach him… how I want him t' touch me…?" the blond asked quietly, brows furrowing together.

"He won't know otherwise, and he obviously retained _nothing_ from just before you had sex. He's a slow learner when it comes to understanding other people," Yugi confirmed, nodding. "I'm going to go home. Yami's probably going bonkers; he finally decides that he's going to come and apologize to Seto, and you come in screaming that Seto's tried to kill himself. You should have seen him. 'Aibou, today is the day I go apologize to my cousin!'" he added, placing his hands on his hips and deepening his voice in a mocking manner. "'I shall do my best to make him forgive me!' I can just imagine what he's going to say when I get home. 'Oh, aibou! Did he try to kill himself because I hadn't told him I'm sorry? How will I ever make this up to him?' Yeah, I'm _sooo_ not looking forward to dealing with that at home."

"Oh. Good luck with that," Joey murmured, frowning. "…I guess… I better go in then…"

"You better. I like Seto, and I think you can help him," the smaller boy stated, nodding.

Joey nodded as well absently, slipping quietly into the bedroom. He frowned when he saw the brunet peering up at him through dark, tired eyes, then made his way toward the bed. "Seto?"

The older boy frowned. "Are you very mad?"

"No, I just—I can't believe ya did this t' yourself!" Joey sighed and leaned his face in his hand for a moment, thinking over what he'd just been told. His mate didn't know how to touch him, even after he'd showed him a little. That had caused all of this.

Tail wilting after a few minutes of the blond not looking at him, Seto whispered, "…I love you."

"…I love you, too," the younger boy replied after another moment. He kept his eyes on the ground for a while longer before moving to sit on the bed. "Seto, I know ya like t' touch me. Will you show me how you like t' touch me?"

The brunet frowned, and Joey couldn't help feeling guilty as he saw every muscle in his body tense at the subject. "…S-show you?"

"Touch me the way ya like touchin' me, and the way ya think I like t' be touched," the blond affirmed, nodding.

Seto frowned and turned his head away. "I don't know if I can… I want to, and I know you want it, but I just can't…" He closed his eyes as he felt a gentle hand on his cheek, then slowly allowed the blond to turn his head back to face him. Hesitantly opening his eyes, he sighed. "…I'm sorry…"

Joey frowned at him, then offered him an encouraging smile. "Start small. Remember my reactions to ya touchin' me, and go from there. Please. I just wanna see what you're comfortable with."

The brunet turned his head away again, shuddering a little, before he began trying to sit up. He whined in the back of his throat as he was helped into a sitting position, then hesitated. "…Where I think you like to be touched?"

"Yeah. Or… where ya think you're 'allowed' t' touch me." The blond gave him another smile of encouragement. "Please."

Seto reached his hands toward him, then hesitated, brows furrowing together as he looked up at the blond uncertainly. When he only got the same smile in response, he moved his hands to cup the blond's cheeks, brushing his thumbs over his cheekbones. "…You like being touched like this. I like it, too. Especially when I just brush…" He slid his hand down to gently run his thumb over the blond's plush bottom lip. "…Your lips like this…"

Joey moaned quietly and let his eyes drift closed. "Oh…"

"And… I know you like when I…" He trailed one of his hands down his neck to his collarbone and traced his fingertips over it lightly. "You always shiver, and get goosebumps…"

"Nn… S-Seto…" The blond shivered and bit his bottom lip. "Oh, Seto…!"

Seto slid both of his hands down further so his fingers caught the younger boy's nipples. "And I know you like to be touched here." He smiled a little. "Mm, they're so hard already. I like how you're always so sensitive to my touch…" The brunet paused, then leaned in and closed his lips over one of the hardened nubs.

Joey tossed his head back and gasped, lifting one of his hands to dig into the brunet's hair. "O-oh! Seto! Nn!"

The older boy growled quietly, tugging at it lightly with his teeth, before rolling his tongue around it slowly. "Mmf… And I like… Nn… having you… tremble… Mm… as you… mewl for more…"

"Ha… Seto…!" The blond moaned and unconsciously twitched his legs together in embarrassment at the way the older boy was growling at him.

"And you told me… that you like… having me touch you _here…_"

Joey gasped again shakily as he felt fingers digging into his skin where the scale of his tail met the skin of his back. "Oh Ra, Seto!"

"And I know you like being touched _here._"

The blond let out a yip as the older boy cupped his erection through his pants. "Seto!" He moaned as the brunet began rubbing it and dug his fingers further into his hair. "Ooooh, yes…! Seto! I really like! Uhn! Really like it!"

Seto purred quietly and pulled the hem of his pants down so the blond's shaft could spring free. "Mm, and it looks _happy_ to see me…"

"_Uh!_" Joey threw his head back with a helpless moan, eyes rolling back, as the brunet grasped his erection and began stroking it. "Seto-!"

The brunet gripped the younger boy's shaft tightly as his purring grew louder, leaning up to brush his lips over his jaw. "And I know you like… when I kiss you…" he added in a whisper, before capturing the blond's lips with his own.

"Mm… Nm…" The blond mewled and slid his arms around the older boy's neck, spreading his legs as he continued to stroke and squeeze him. "Ahm… Ah…!"

Seto growled quietly and began moving his hand faster. "_You_ like that, too, don't you?"

"Yes-!" Joey let his head loll against the brunet's shoulder and whimpered. "Like it a lot! Seto, I'm gonna-! Seto! I'm gonna c-cum—"

The older dragon purred again as he began rubbing his scales and gave the blond's shafts a few more hard jerks before the younger boy shrieked and stiffened. "Mm, you're so pretty when you cum…"

Joey sobbed weakly as he fell limp against him, body trembling with the aftershocks as the brunet pulled him close. "Oh… Oh, Ra… Seto… Nn… O-oh… Seto…"

Seto nuzzled his shoulder lovingly. "That's where I'm allowed to touch you."

"…Ah…" The blond turned his head to brush their lips together. "…No, there are more places. Ya missed 'em."

The older boy leaned back and blinked at him innocently. "…I'm sorry… I guess I don't know where…"

The blond smiled sweetly and grabbed his hand. "May I show you?"

"…I… Where else do you like me to touch you? I don't understand…" the brunet whispered, brows furrowing together in confusion.

"Let me show you." Joey guided his hands down to rest on his hips, peering up at him from beneath his bangs innocently as the brunet's fingers caught on the hem of his pants. "Help me get these off?"

Seto let out a confused rumble, but slid the soft fabric down the blond's hips as he lifted them helpfully, growling in arousal when he lifted his legs for him to pull his pants off the rest of the way. "Mm…"

"Hands please," the younger boy ordered, then, once he had the brunet's hands in his again, drew them toward his body. "I like when you touch me… _here._"

The brunet let out a startled squeak as he directed his fingers to his entrance and looked up at his face quickly. "I-?"

Joey purred quietly to show him it was okay and nudged his fingers closer gently. "You're allowed t' touch me here. In fact, I'd really like it if ya touched me here more often." When the brunet frowned at him uneasily, he mewed and spread his legs a little more. "Please?"

Seto gave him one last unsure look before he hesitantly pressed a finger inside of him, more timid than he'd been before. "I… I can't," he muttered, pulling his hand away immediately. When the blond looked as if he might complain, he jerked his head away with a distressed whine. "I don't want to do this. I can't. I don't want to—Please don't make me—"

Seeing how distressed the older boy was getting, he cupped the brunet's cheeks and cooed. "It's okay, Seto. It's okay. Ya don't hafta do it if ya don't want. Okay?"

"I don't want to do that again," the white dragon whined. "I don't want to—I can't handle touching you like that—Joey-!"

Joey drew his face down to kiss him gently. "Shh… It's okay, Seto." He brushed his lips over the brunet's chin and cooed. "It's okay if you're not comfortable yet. We'll just try again later. Okay?"

Seto whined again. "But it's winter and I need to keep you warm, and—"

"I'll be fine for the night," the blond assured, smiling gently, then turned to lay out on the bed. "Trust me, Seto. I'll be okay." He mewed as the older boy spread out beside him, then snuggled up to him. "Mm…" He frowned, then turned and patted his shoulder. "Seto, are ya on your back?"

Seto let out a rumble of frustration but allowed the blond to maneuver him onto his stomach. "I don't know how you and Yugi expect me to sleep like this."

The younger boy mewed again. "If I promise to make it worth your while later, will ya at least try?"

The brunet frowned, then sighed quietly. "Okay. …You… You're sure I didn't hurt you when I took you earlier?" He whined. "Because I didn't want to hurt you. Didn't it bother you?"

Joey sighed and reached over to cup his cheek. "Seto, it doesn't bother me when ya do that. I mean, I was a little nervous at first, but the further into winter we got, I just didn't care anymore. _You_ have more of a problem with it than I do, Seto." He frowned and nuzzled the brunet's shoulder when he released an ashamed whine. "It's okay. We'll find a way t' get you used to it. I'll do my best t' help ya, okay? We're in this together. And eventually, we'll get ya used to… t' _intercourse._" He grimaced at the word. "Er… Get ya used t' sex. Not oral sex, but sex-sex. …Ya know what I mean!"

Seto couldn't help a little smile. "Yes, I know what you mean."

"…'nd… I was thinkin'…" The blond blushed and lifted a hand to cover his mouth. "…After ya get more comfortable…" He paused, then hesitantly suggested, "We could look through that Kama Sutra series ya have? Find somethin' ya might be comfortable with?"

"The what?" The older boy frowned in confusion for a few moments, but once the words had registered, he raised an eyebrow. "The Kama Sutra series? …Well, I guess just _looking_ at it wouldn't be a bad idea…"

Joey smiled sweetly. "And if we find somethin' that doesn't bother ya so much, it would help."

"You're right." Seto sighed. "…I'm sorry I'm not—"

"It's not your fault. We started this relationship on the wrong foot and we just need t' learn what the other person's comfortable with. Looking through the books together should help us get more comfortable with each other, and then we can move on from there."

"Hmm. Maybe you're right." The brunet let his eyes flutter shut.

The younger dragon smiled and snuggled up to him to sleep. "Of course I am." He was glad it was winter; otherwise he'd probably be too embarrassed to discuss it so casually.

Unfortunately, a few minutes later, just as he was about to drift off completely, he heard a soft whine. "Joey…?"

He was so close to being asleep! Sighing, he opened his eyes and looked up at him. "Hmm?"

Seto whined again. "I can't sleep like this. Do you think I'm capable of going to get my book?"

Joey sat up and frowned, carefully examining his back, then shook his head. "No. I'll go get it for ya."

"You don't have to. I'll just lay here until I pass out or something," the brunet began, but was silenced by a deadpanned look. He ducked his gaze. "…I'm sorry…"

"It's fine. We just have a little more t' work out than I thought we did. Things will work out, Seto. I don't mind." The blond paused, then added, "Besides, you're really cute when you're unsure about things."

Seto blushed a little as his dame flashed him a smile before he left the room, then laid his cheek on his crossed arms, frowning. Joey was so tolerant. He'd have to do something especially nice for him to thank him for his patience with him…

"It's this one about the wizards, right-? …Seto?" Joey tilted his head in annoyance when he found his mate sleeping, but after a moment, he decided he couldn't be too mad, especially when he looked at the paste-covered back facing him. So, he sighed, placed the book on the bedside table, and snuggled up against his mate again. Sleep wasn't slow to capture him this time.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto wriggled helplessly and let out a quiet whine. "Can't get up-!"

Joey grumbled and sat up slowly, trying to blink away the sleep trying to recapture him, then turned toward him in confusion. "Wha-?"

"Can't get uuup!" the brunet repeated.

His body _ached._ His back itched and pulled awkwardly with each minute shift, and his wings burned at the bases. His arms felt like lead weights, and his legs just didn't even respond. …He felt like a lump of pain.

He was probably just as useful as a lump of pain, too.

"…I can't cook for you like this."

"I don't want ya t' cook for me," Joey mumbled, gently grasping his shoulders to help him up. "You're hurt. You're excused from sire duty until you're healed."

The brunet whined. "But… I need to make dinner for you. I hurt you yesterday—"

"Ya didn't hurt me, damn it!" the black dragon snarled, glaring at him. "Ra, Seto! Get it through your head! I'm not a delicate little flower and I _liked_ makin' love with ya!"

Seto flinched backward at the angry tone, unable to help a cringe when it caused his back to ache—and then a little whine as his wings flexed with the instinctive urge to wrap around and guard him from any threat. "…I…"

The blond took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, then sighed, brows furrowing together in concern. "Seto. What do I hafta do t' make ya realize that ya didn't hurt me? I liked havin' ya inside me. I liked sharin' my body with ya, makin' love instead of just sex." The younger boy jerked his head away and scrubbed at his eyes, which stung with tears that he told himself were from dust. "I… I felt like we were one for a minute, like mates should be.

"But _you_ didn't feel that way, didja? Ya just felt like you were usin' me. Ya didn't like it. I don't… I dunno what I did t' make ya think I didn't like it! I was so happy we were havin' sex, and you… I made ya think you were _hurting meeee!_" the blond wailed, then covered his face and began to cry.

Seto whined and reached out to brush his arm with his finger tips, afraid to move too much and aggravate his wounds. "Joey…" He squeaked as the blond lunged at him and threw his arms around his shoulders, then choked back a rumble of pain. "Ouch-!"

"I'm sorry, Seto! I'm so, _so_ sorry!" Joey sobbed, crying into his chest. He felt the brunet's nails dig into his back and hiccupped quietly. "I don't know what I can do t' show ya that ya aren't hurtin' me when ya touch me! I'm sorry I can't do anything t' help ya see how good ya make me feel! I'm sorry, Seto!"

Whining again, the brunet nuzzled his throat. "It's not your fault, Joey. It's mine. _I_ should be sorry. It's not your fault that I can't satisfy you." He held the blond tightly despite his throbbing back and continued to whisper apologies and assurances to him until his sobbing calmed into short hiccups and awkward huffs.

Joey sniffled and whimpered a few moments before leaning back and wiping his face. "Guh…" Turning his head as he heard a knock against the door, he swallowed thickly, then looked up at his mate and smiled awkwardly. "I should get that."

"You don't have to. We should talk more," Seto argued, frowning, and reached out to catch his hand as he tried to get up. "Wait."

The blond hesitated before quietly stating, "I was usin' the door as an excuse t' compose myself, Seto."

"…Oh."

The black dragon turned to flash him a watery smile. "I'm gonna come back. Don't worry. And then we can talk, okay? I'll have calmed down."

The brunet was hesitant, but eventually nodded. "Alright. Whoever's at the door can wait until another time. …Unless it's Yugi come to tell me that I can sleep on my back."

Joey couldn't help an awkward giggle as he stood and made his way out of the room. On his way to the door, he took a moment to wipe his eyes and calm his breathing before he approached the large wooden door. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the iron handle and pulled, dragging it backward until he had a gap large enough to peer out of.

He gasped when he saw his mate's little brother leaning on the other door, large purple bruises under his eyes from lack of sleep and eyes red from that and crying. He could see the younger boy's bones through his skin because of malnourishment, and his wings were wilted and cracked from being too dry and unused. His sister's rejection must have affected the other teen more than he'd thought—and he realized that the two brothers were terribly alike in that aspect.

He couldn't help just moving aside as the smaller dragon wandered in, watching him in concern as he looked around like he didn't recognize the place. Then, when he started to fall, he leapt forward to catch the smaller body and gasped when he felt how light it was. He reached down to grab his tail and lift it, horrified to feel how light it was.

Weight from the wings and tail were the last to go when dragons were starving, because the tail and the wings were necessary to hunt. Feeling how light his tail was, he must have been going without food for quite some time. He could only assume that the younger boy had come to his brother for comfort—even if he was confused as to where he was, his instinct would have driven him somewhere either he could be taken care of or where they were take care of his body if he died.

Joey squeaked at the thought and rushed the younger boy back up to their room._ 'This is terrible! And the same thing could've happened t' Seto!'_ He only had a moment to see his mate's startled expression as he shoved his brother into his arms before he ran back out of the room. "Gettin' some beef broth!"

Seto stared after him, stunned, then looked down at his younger brother. Once he realized what terrible condition he was in, he hurriedly gathered the too-light body into his arms and hugged him tightly. "Mokuba-!"

"…Seto…" The younger boy mewed. "Seto…! 'm sorry…!"

"It's alright, Mokuba. I'm not mad at you." He nuzzled his little brother's hair and reached back to touch the base of one of his dry wings. "I'm going to take care of you, okay? Joey will help, too. We're going to help you get better and you'll have another chance with your Other. I promise. Okay? You'll be alright."

Mokuba whimpered, unable to grasp the fact that his brother wasn't angry with him even after he'd told him he'd hated him and had disowned him and hadn't even managed to get him a birthday present despite knowing that he was one of the reasons Seto was the way he was. "'m sorry… 'm sorry, Seto…"

"It's cold but it'll do t' get him started," Joey stated, sweeping into the room with a bowl of cool beef broth. "Prop him up." He frowned when he heard the younger boy still whimpering apologies, then scowled and grabbed his chin, shaking his head lightly until the glazed-over eyes managed to catch his own. "Shut up and open your mouth. Ya can tell us this shit later. Until then, follow my orders and don't aggravate your brother."

Seto scowled and opened his mouth to defend his brother. "Joey, he—"

"YOU SHUT UP!" the blond roared, irritated. "You're not in any better shape and fuck you both because you're SO STUPID!" He took a few deep breaths, then bared his teeth threateningly. "Ya have no room t' talk because your entire back is a scab. So shut up and let me take care of ya both until you're capable of movin' around and your brother is well enough t' hold his own fuckin' spoon."

The brunet frowned. He supposed his mate did have a point. So, sighing, he helped prop up his brother and stroked his hair as the blond eased spoonfuls of broth into his mouth. "…Thank you for helping me take care of him."

"What the hell were ya gonna do? Crawl around and hope ya didn't flex your back? …'sides, my sister's the reason he's like this anyway…" Joey mumbled, frowning. He brushed the younger boy's hair out of his face, then cupped his cheek. "…I didn't know she could be so hateful. I guess we'll just hafta take care of him until he gets better. We'll figure somethin' out after that."

Seto began to purr at that, happy that his mate was accepting his little brother despite how angry he'd been with him before. "That's a good idea."

"Of course it's a good idea. I'm perfectly intelligent when I wanna be."

The brunet paused, wondering how he should respond, then decided that saying anything about his intelligence would be the wrong answer. Instead, he quietly wondered how he was supposed to take care of his mate and brother when he was injured, not expecting a response and honestly surprised when he got one.

Joey sat back and sighed, frowning at him. "Seto, I dunno how often your father got sick, but where I come from, it's expected for the dame t' take care of his or her family when they're sick. It's okay for ya not t' take care of me when you're hurt. And it's okay that I take care of your brother while you're hurt, too, because he's family. It's okay. Stop worryin'."

Seto whined quietly. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"Uh…" The blond blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "I guess… Shut up. I'm gonna go make stew for when he wakes up." He turned to leave and squeaked when the older boy grabbed the end of his tail and gently dragged him back onto the bed and into his arms. "Seto-!"

The brunet nuzzled his throat and kissed his chin gently. "Thank you. I'll make this up to you, I promise."

Joey sighed and turned to look at him, frowning again. "Seto, ya don't need t' make it up t' me. I wanna do this for ya. And I like bein' able t' take care of ya," he explained. "Until we mated, I was takin' care of myself. I know ya like takin' care of me, but I wanna be able t' take care of ya, too." He leaned in to kiss the older boy lightly, then stood up. "I like takin' care of ya. Makes me feel useful. Gives me somethin' t' do." He reached out to stroke Mokuba's hair out of his face and smiled. "This is nice. Like practice for children of our own."

"Yeah." Seto took a moment to tuck his brother under the blankets, then paused. When he finally realized what he'd heard, however, he whipped around and gaped at his mate as he began out the door. "Children of our own?"

The blond paused to wink at him. "It could happen someday, right?"

"Guh-? You—and me—and babies!"

"Well, children are usually babies when they're born," Joey teased, then turned and began walking away. "Just a thought."

Seto gaped after him, still stunned by the suggestion. His mate wanted children? …Did he even like children? What if he didn't like his _own_ children? Oh Ra. He was going to be a terrible father!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Joey bit his bottom lip and stepped a little closer to the fire that he'd started in the fireplace to use as the heat source for his soup. He was feeling much too cold, he knew that, but when he'd snuggled up against Seto and had begun kissing his throat, he'd been told quite firmly that not only was Seto currently incapable of pleasing him but that he was uncomfortable doing it with his brother so close, even if he was unconscious. He'd been disappointed, but he didn't want to aggravate Seto when he was still so injured, and he supposed that it _had_ been a little too bold of him with Mokuba in the room with him.

The heat on his legs burned uncomfortably, but for a few moments, it made him forget about how cold he was. He took a sip of the broth and shivered as the hot liquid slid down his throat. It only helped warm him slightly. He was seriously confused as to how his sister was staying warm when he couldn't even bear not being touched for a day or two. His mate was hurt, though, and insisted on caring for his brother even though Joey had told him he didn't mind and would have even _enjoyed_ taking care of both of them.

When Seto had told him point-blank that he was taking care of Mokuba, though, Joey couldn't help feeling a little rejected, especially after being told 'no' for physical affection. So, as the brunet tried to coax his feeble brother to eat the soup Joey had brought him earlier, it only left the black dragon to clean up the mess he'd made in the kitchen and keep the large amount of soup he'd made from burning.

Sitting on the hearth so he could heat his back, Joey sighed, frowning as he spread his wings to absorb more heat. "So much for takin' care of your mate and his brother," he mumbled sadly. He traced a circle in the dust on the floor until he shuddered anxiously. The heat from the fire helped, but he still felt a cold ache in his bones.

He shivered again and dug his teeth into his bottom lip harder, then stood abruptly and began pacing the floor, hoping to get his heart rate up so that he wouldn't be so cold. Serenity had said she'd been doing obstacle courses to keep warm, and while he may have been angry with her, he decided she might have something going for her there and perhaps he could use it, too. He just didn't want to leave the two brothers here alone while he was flying, just in case Seto finally decided that he needed his help for something.

Not that he would. Because he was just cooking for them right now and would be back to lounging around and trying to amuse himself as soon as Seto was better.

"This. Isn't. Working," he ground out helplessly, tears forming in his eyes as he walked over to sit down in front of the fire again. He gripped his hands into tight fists and heaved a shaky sigh, then leaned his face in his hand and groaned. "So cold…" He tried to ignore it a few more minutes, but eventually, it became too much to bear.

Sliding his hand between his legs, he moaned as his erection throbbed. Every bone in his body ached with cold and all he wanted to do was heat his body up completely if only for a moment. He carefully inched his pants down his hips and whined at the idea that his mate wasn't helping him, but then he remembered the scab covering Seto's entire back, the flesh missing from the bases of his wings, and the disappointment immediately dissolved into shame.

Joey licked his fingers for a moment before reaching down and shoving them inside, mewling quietly. "Nn…" He squirmed a little as he tried to find the special spot that would help him warm up, spreading his wings to keep from falling back into the fire. "Ooh… Ah-!" He arched his back as he finally brushed his fingertips over it, whimpering as he continued to thrust his fingers in and out.

After a few moments, he closed his eyes and pretended that the fingers inside of him were longer, paler. He pretended that his mate was looking at him with hunger in his eyes instead of confused desperation. He imagined the brunet looming over him, leering eyes conveying 'mine!' instead of 'mine?' And, wrapping his hand around his hard shaft, he pretended that his mate was there, kissing him and stroking his erection.

Joey tilted his head back and dug his teeth into his bottom lip hard to keep from crying out as he came, body stiffening almost painfully as heat flooded his body. He winced as he tasted blood on his tongue and relaxed his jaw, groaning when he traced the cuts on the inside of his top lip from his sharp teeth. Pulling his fingers out and pulling his pants back up, he stood shakily and walked over to the counter to pick up a towel and wipe the mess from his stomach.

He felt terrible. His mate was injured, his mate's brother was too sick and weak to take care of himself, and there he was in the kitchen, pleasuring himself. He felt disgusting and selfish for being uncomfortable just because he was a little cold when Seto's back had been flayed open and Mokuba had almost died from malnutrition. He had no right to be disappointed or angry because his mate didn't have the time and energy to help keep him warm.

Joey looked at the towel and wrinkled his nose in disgust, muttering, "I'm the worst." Turning, he threw the towel into the fire in frustration and walked over to stir the large pot of soup, hoping that it hadn't burned while he'd been touching himself.

He blinked as he felt a pair of arms wrap around him and looked down in confusion, then gasped and turned quickly. "Seto-!"

Seto smashed their lips together to keep him from saying anything. He hadn't realized just how long he'd made the blond wait, and he felt guilty for making him feel cold. Breaking the kiss slowly, he turned his head and began kissing his throat. "I'm sorry. I didn't feel it was safe to leave him until after he'd eaten a few meals."

Joey squirmed. "Set—I-I already got myself off, so—ya shouldn't be up like this, Seto. You're hurt, and if Yug' found out I'd let ya hurt yourself even more because I let ya up, I—"

"I hurt your feelings when I told you we shouldn't, didn't I?" The brunet kissed his jaw lightly. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, it's fine—I mean, you're hurt, so ya can't really be expected t'—Mmn!" Mewling as the older boy kissed him again, the black dragon pressed up against him. "Nn…"

Seto reached down to grab his ass and gave the cheek in his hand a squeeze. "Mm…" Breaking the kiss, he nuzzled the blond's shoulder and slid his hand around to slip it down the front of his pants. "Moving my arm isn't exactly strenuous activity, Joey."

"Uhn!" Hips jerking in surprise, Joey yelped as the brunet grasped his cock and began stroking it swiftly. "Ra! Seto, that—hmm!" He shuddered and wrapped his arms around the brunet's neck tightly, gasping as the older boy reached back and scratched the base of his tail lightly, sharp nails sending short zaps of electricity whenever they grazed his human skin. "Ungh…! Seto, I just—I can't—You're gonna make me come!"

"That's the general idea," the brunet murmured, then leaned down to lick his neck gently. "I know you just pleasured yourself. I know that your control isn't very good after you've come once. I don't care."

The younger boy whined helplessly and arched into his hands, eyes widening sightlessly as he felt whatever control he'd had slipping. "Seto—Seto please—" He clawed at his shoulders, desperate to find some kind of anchor as the brunet gave his shaft a squeeze. "I-! Seto, I'm-!"

Seto growled and grit his teeth as the blond's sharp nails dug into his back and yanked as he came, holding back the urge to smack his hands away. As the black dragon fell limp against him, he slid his arms around his waist, afraid that if he tried to detach the blond's claws, he'd just cause even more damage. He did not want Joey to go into a guilty tear-fest because he'd ripped his scab open.

Besides, holding the blond against him was quite nice, especially because he knew the cause of his mate's bonelessness was entirely him.

"Seto, I… Hn…" Joey tipped his head back to nip at his jaw, groaning when he became aware of the sticky mess in his pants. "Uh, why would ya do that…?" He bit his bottom lip. "Now my pants 're a mess…"

Seto dipped his head to kiss him lightly. "Because you're my mate, and I neglected my duties of keeping you happy and healthy." He pet the blond's hip gently and kissed him again. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Joey. I just didn't want to do it with my brother so close."

"'course not," the black dragon mumbled, scowling, then gasped and stood up straight. "Oh, no-! Seto, your back—Why'd ya lemme do this t' ya, I—" Gasping again as he saw the blood on his fingertips, he looked up at the brunet and flinched a little. "I'm so sorry…"

The older boy smiled a little and dipped his head to catch his fingers between his lips, carefully licking the blood from them before he pulled him into another kiss. "Don't worry," he murmured, smiling. "I don't mind. It'll heal in time. Your body heat was more important to me."

"…You're terrible," Joey whispered, but leaned his face against the brunet's neck and carefully traced his nails down his chest. "Makin' me hurt ya and then makin' me think it's okay, ya bastard."

Seto chuckled and reached out to dip his fingers in the soup. "Being able to keep my mate happy makes me a bastard?"

"Keep your fingers outta my soup!" the blond exclaimed, turning and smacking his hand with his spoon. "Ya sneaky jerk!"

The white dragon licked his fingers clean and smirked. "But it's so tastyyy."

"So get a bowl, ya moro—_Hey!_" Smacking his mate's hand away from the pot again, he turned and began lightly slapping his chest. "Keep—your hands—out—of my—soup!"

Seto's smirk grew as he grabbed the blond's wrists and jerked him closer so he was pressed up against him again. "What about you? Do I have to keep my hands out of you?"

Joey blushed as he stared up at him, mouthing moving but the only thing coming out a startled squeak. "I-!"

The brunet tilted his head, wondering why his mate looked so surprised and confused, but when he realized what he'd said, he immediately stepped back, holding his hands up quickly as if to wave away what he'd said. "Off! I meant _off!_"

Joey flinched and looked down at his feet. "Oh. …Of course you did…" He managed to look up at the older boy and give him a small smile. "Well, you should probably go check on your brother, make sure he's still okay…"

Seto frowned. "Joey, I didn't mean it like—" he began helplessly, but then the blond merely turned and began stirring the soup, his tail and wings wilted sadly. "…I just wanted to help you keep warm…"

"I know. I'm warm." The younger boy forced a smile. "Ya did a good job, Seto."

The white dragon whined. "…So how did I make you so sad?"

Joey bit his bottom lip and stared into the pot of soup as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. "…Seto, I love ya. I know ya aren't interested in sex and you're just touchin' me t' keep me satisfied. But… I do need sex durin' the winter. I'm tryin' t' be patient, but… I stay warmer longer if I have somethin' inside o' me. I… I'm sorry, but I really need more than what ya give me sometimes."

Seto's tail and wings fell limp completely, eyes widening in surprise and horror. He'd just assumed that Joey had been trying to get him comfortable with sex—trying to help him see that he wasn't hurting him anymore. He hadn't realized that it was necessarily a physical need.

…Perhaps he should have asked him. That would have done much more for him than just hoping what he did was enough.

Joey felt a rush of wind and turned, heart dropping a little as he watched the brunet walking swiftly from the kitchen. _'He didn't even say anything.'_

.-.-.-.-.-.

Mokuba yawned and sat up, swiping at his eyes weakly before turning to look at his brother. "Whatcha rea—_AGHLEFWAH!_"

Seto turned his head and watched in alarm as his brother jerked backward and fell off of the bed. "Mokuba!"

"WHY ARE YOU READING THAT SO CLOSE TO ME!" the younger boy screeched, wild-eyed but too weak to pick himself up off of the floor.

The brunet stared at him for a moment before sighing quietly. "Joey said that he stays warmer longer if he has something touching inside of him. I need to try and figure out some way of pleasing him that is comfortable for both of us."

Mokuba scowled. "And of course reading a very graphic book of Kama Sutra next to your little brother is perfectly alright."

"You know, if you could manage to take care of yourself despite your Other treating you unkindly, you wouldn't have to deal with it," the older boy stated sharply, then turned back to his book. "If you'll please notice, I kept myself relatively healthy despite my Other hating me with every fiber of his being. In fact, he was so desperate for warmth that he tried to come onto me with you in the same bed.

"I realize that you're my little brother and you shouldn't be seeing those things, but this is _my_ home that I share with _my_ mate even when you couldn't be bothered to visit your _rapist_ of a brother. Have a little respect for the home you left behind—and the brother you abandoned with it."

Mokuba felt the angry rebuttal he had die on his tongue. He really _had_ abandoned his brother for a time, striking out on his own despite knowing that Seto might be left lonely or heartbroken that one of the only people he cared for didn't need him anymore. He really had been selfish. Sure, lots of dragons his age left home, but they probably kept in contact with their families more than he had. He'd just seen his Other and been so… so… overwhelmed.

…Seto had seen his Other and had had no one to explain anything to him. He probably hadn't even had a chance to push down his instinct to mate with his soul mate and think clearly. He'd even doubted his brother might _have_ an Other, and he'd just… just… left him on his own.

"S-Seto, I—"

"Listen, I got enough soup on the fire t' last ya for a—WHY ARE YOU ON THE FLOOR!" Joey roared in outrage when he saw the younger boy splayed out over the carpet. "That's not gonna help ya heal!"

"I just—I was surprised, and—Help," Mokuba squeaked, holding his hands up to him feebly. He flinched as the blond promptly lifted him and plopped him back on the bed. "Ow!"

Seto reached out to pat him on the head. "You get used to it. He can be gentle, he just… forgets."

"SHUT UP I'M AS GENTLE AS A FUCKING BUTTERFLY!" the blond roared.

Mokuba stared.

"…Fuck you, I'm gonna go get some more salve from Yug'," Joey muttered, scowling. He paused as he saw the book the brunet was reading, then whined loudly. "I thought we were readin' those together?"

"No. We still can. Just not this one." Seto frowned thoughtfully and didn't look up from the position he was examining. When he only got another sad whine in response, he sighed and finally turned his gaze on him. "This one is more for individuals than couples, Joey. …Especially individuals lacking a certain… quality."

Joey frowned. "But your dick is huge."

Mokuba gagged and shuddered, instinctively leaning away from them and falling to the floor again. "Gah!"

"I was speaking about confidence. …But thank you."

The black dragon blinked. "Oh. Yer welcome, I guess. …MOKUBA, WHY ARE YOU ON THE FLOOR!"

Mokuba whimpered and swore he'd never get in such bad shape again, if only so he didn't have to witness these kinds of conversations and altercations again.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey blinked as he arrived in his friends' den and found the more dominant male groveling to his mate. "…What did I just walk in on?"

"Yami wants me to forgive him for saying something insensitive about you," Yugi replied airily.

Yami squawked. "I'm doing no such thing!"

The blond immediately bristled. "What did you say about me?"

"I didn't say it about you! I just mentioned that Yugi has put on a couple of pounds and if it meant he might be ready for an egg!" The way the black dragon's eyes glowed red with fury informed him that he'd said the wrong thing. Yami promptly bailed before Joey could throw him out.

Joey glared after him for a few moments, before turning to his friend. "Speaking of fat—"

"It's winter weight, okay?" Yugi exclaimed defensively. "I'll lose it come spring!"

The blond blinked. "…Er… I wasn't talking about yours. Not that ya have any!" he added quickly. He remembered the last time he'd mentioned anyone's weight and had been promptly pummeled by three different women when he'd only mentioned one. "It's Mokuba. We're takin' care of him, but before that, he really let himself go. He didn't eat or move around. –His _tail_ is light." He grimaced. "If ya had somethin' I could add t' his food so he could gain weight faster, I'd appreciate it."

The smaller boy blinked. "Oh. Ummm, let me see if I have something…" He began searching through various jars and wads of herbs. "I'm sure I had something like that made for parents whose children weren't getting enough nourishment…" He hummed thoughtfully, then smiled and finally plucked a wad of herbs from a jar and turned to look at him. "Just put these in a cloth and drop it in whatever you're making. Stews and soups mostly. They'll help. If he doesn't start gaining weight, have him eat the herbs too. Oh, and have Seto eat some, too. He's too skinny for a dragon his age."

"Okay." Joey took the wad of herbs and scratched the back of his head. "So I should eat somethin' else?"

"Unless you want to end up gaining fifteen extra pounds, yeah." Yugi tilted his head and smiled a little. "Not that you couldn't do with a few more pounds."

"See, there's five pounds, and then there's fifteen," the blond began, waving his tail from side to side. He smiled as the smaller boy began to laugh, then turned and began toward the edge of his den, waving over his shoulder. "Thanks, Yug'. I'll make sure t' put this in as soon as I get home."

"If you need more, just drop by!" the smaller dragon called after him.

Joey waved to show he'd heard, then began beating his wings faster so he could return home sooner and try to get the two brothers to gain weight. He hadn't wanted to say anything, but Seto was quite thin, and he attributed that to his laziness in not fixing himself proper meals. Now that he was incapacitated, Joey could make him all of the fattening foods he wanted and could force him to eat them with a minor guilt trip or two.

Hmm. Perhaps Seto's little breakdown was a blessing in disguise. At least a little. He wouldn't tell him that, though, because he did feel badly for thinking it, even if he knew it was the tiniest bit helpful.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Stew for both of ya!" Joey chirped, trotting into the room with a bowl of stew in each hand. "Seto, put the book away before ya get food all over it. Look, I even baked bread for ya!"

Seto whined as the book was ripped from his hands and set on the bedside table. "I was reading that…!"

"And now you're eatin'! I already had some in the kitchen. Here, Mokuba, you can feed yourself now, I think." He made sure they were settled with their bowls before he sat on the bed and pet the brunet's leg gently. "How's your back feel today, Seto?"

"…Hurts," the white dragon after a moment. "But Yugi said that's a good thing, because my nerves are healing. He left some things to make a salve to put on my back. –If you want to help me do that, anyway…"

"Sure. Um, yeah. Where'd ya put it?" When the brunet pointed toward the bathroom, Joey smiled at him before getting up and stepping into the room.

Mokuba stirred his stew awkwardly. "…So you and Joey are really getting along then, huh?"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "I do believe that we've made it clear that yes, we do. Despite whatever Serenity or anyone else might say, we get along quiet well. In fact—"

Joey came out with a bowl and pestle and promptly slapped some of the salve on his back. "Just all over, right?"

"GAAAAH!" The brunet arched his back and keened quietly. "I just told you that I hurt because my nerves are healing why would you do that!"

The black dragon frowned. "Oh. That's what you meant."

"Yes that's what I meant _ow!_" Seto smacked his arm, scowling. "BE. GENTLE. WITH ME."

Joey rolled his eyes and sighed but began rubbing the salve on with a gentler touch. "Sorry. You know, if ya hadn't done this in the first place—"

"I KNOW!" the brunet roared, then huffed. "…I'm sorry."

The blond finished rubbing the salve on his back and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I'll go run a bath for Mokuba. He smells. And when this dries, I'll run a bath for you, too, 'kay?"

"Okay. Can I read now?"

"YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED YOUR STEW!" Joey roared. He took a deep breath, then sighed. "…Finish it and I'll think about it," he replied, plucking the book from the bedside table and trotting back out.

Seto whined. "Joey nooooo…!"

Joey paused at the doorway and turned to smirk back at him waving the book tauntingly. "Better finish your stew then."

The brunet snorted in disgruntlement but shoved a spoonful of stew into his mouth. "_Fine._"

Mokuba watched the blond go, then turned to look at his brother, tilting his head a little. He'd probably never actually understand their banter, but from what he _did_ understand… they got along rather well. Seto wasn't a bad sire and Joey was a kind dame, considering how their partnership had… started. In fact, their relationship almost seemed healthy, if the smile on Joey's face had been unmistakable and the corners of Seto's lips were curved up into the tiniest of smiles even as he ate.

Joey and Seto were the ones immediately affected by the rape, and they were happy. Why couldn't he be happy?

Mokuba flinched and grabbed his chest with a low whine. "Hurts."

Seto paused awkwardly. He could guess what it was that hurt, as he'd felt the same thing when the blond had rejected him. Nothing anyone could have said would have made the pain lessen. So, he slid over and wrapped his arm around the younger boy's shoulders, hugging him gently. "I'm not going to tell you it gets better. It doesn't. But as time goes on… _you_ become more adept at dealing with it. It still hurts, but you get better at dealing with it."

The younger boy whined again. "But Seto, I don't _want_ it to hurt anymore. Why do you and Joey get to be happy and I have to suffer?"

"You'd have to ask Serenity that. I wouldn't know." Seto rubbed his back slowly and frowned. "You have to understand, I'd dealt with it for several months, and at the time I believed I would truly never feel better. But I did know one thing—I wanted him to not hate me. I wanted him to smile at me. That was all I could have asked for at the time, and Joey was willing to give me those things—until he found out he was my Other, anyway."

"…So you're saying I should settle for less than I deserve," Mokuba accused after a moment, scowling.

Seto immediately moved away, trying not to show that he was hurt. "There's a difference between settling and compromising, Mokuba." He finished his stew and set the empty bowl on the bedside table where his book had been, then laid down so his back was facing the younger boy. "I could have _settled_ with never seeing you again, but _compromised_ that we'd visit even if I had to track you down myself. And don't tell me it's not the same thing, Mokuba, because you were a big part of my life and then you just _left me._"

The younger boy flinched. "But… Seto… if you'd just asked me to—"

"Don't think you wouldn't resent me if I'd asked you to stay. You would have. I know you, Mokuba, and if you're vindictive enough to disown me after you hear how I raped my mate then you're definitely vindictive enough to resent me for asking you not to leave."

Mokuba flinched again and stared at the brunet's back, taking in the scab just visible beneath the green salve and the hints of bone he could see at the bases of his wings. Seto had done that to himself, and Joey had had to run for help. What if no one had been here? What if Seto had just continued to wander around, bleeding, and had tried to fly?

How long would it have taken for someone to find him, and what condition would he have in? Did he hurt himself often and this was just the first time he'd seen it, because he was gone so often?

"Mokuba, your bath is rea—Why are ya cryin'? Hey, hey, it's okay," Joey exclaimed, rushing over to hug him. He ran his fingers over his back to check for wounds and the weight of his tail before leaning back, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"It's—Nothing. I'd just really like to be alone, please," Mokuba whispered. "Could you just leave me in the bathroom for a while? I can clean myself."

Joey tilted his head, brows furrowing together, before nodding slowly when he noticed his mate had done nothing to respond to his brother's tears.

When he returned to the bedroom, he reached out to touch his shoulder, deciding to allow him to open up on his own. "Seto? What happened? I was only gone for a few minutes."

Seto reached back to gently touch his hand with his fingertips. "I'm… just… Something changed when he decided he wanted to move away from me. I guess neither of us really knows how to react." The brunet stroked his hand lightly. "Perhaps… I should move back to my old room for the duration of his stay."

Joey immediately bristled. "This was _my_ room before it was _our_ room and I'm not gonna have ya leave just because your little brother is bein' a spoiled brat!" He paused when the brunet flinched, then sighed and leaned down to kiss him lightly. "No, Seto. It's easier t' have ya both in the same room and I don't care what he says t' ya—You belong in my room. With me. Especially once he's strong enough to take care of himself. Don't ever believe otherwise, okay?"

Seto smiled a little and turned to face him. "You're right. Okay." He sat up and slid his arms around his waist. "So did I earn my book? I finished my stew."

The blond smiled and nuzzled noses with him. "Depends. Did ya learn anything from it?"

"…I've learned that if I'm not comfortable to use my… Well, I can lick you."

Joey blinked. "Lick me? That's not anything new, we've done it—"

"…Instead of my penis. I could use my tongue instead of my penis."

The blond stared at him, then giggled nervously. "Oh."

Seto tilted his head. "Just 'oh?' Surely you must have some sort of opinion."

"…That sounds good," Joey murmured after a moment. "I mean, it's not exactly everything, but… it's somethin'. It should help."

Seto reached up to kiss him. He had a lovely dame. "Thank you, Joey."

"Of course." Joey stroked his arm gently, then smiled awkwardly. "Ya know, Mokuba's gonna be in there for a while…"

The brunet purred quietly. "Are you suggesting something, Joey?"

The black dragon looked down at his lap. "…If you're willin' t' try with me again."

Seto licked his lips. "Okay. I'll try. Are you feeling cold?"

"…Nothin' I can't handle." Joey settled in the brunet's lap and tried not to dig his claws into his back too much. "If it hurts too much, I don't wanna be the one makin' ya strain yourself, and—WAUGH!" He yelped as the brunet grabbed beneath his knees and jerked them up so he fell onto his back. "_Seto!_"

"…Did I do that right? The books said assertiveness can lead to confidence."

Joey turned his head and covered his mouth, eyes wide and cheeks flushed as he tried desperately not to laugh at his mate when he was trying so hard to please him.

Seto scowled. "I can tell you're laughing. Just tell me if you liked it."

"…Yeah, I did," the blond replied after a moment, surprised by himself—and somewhat shocked by the brunet. "And ya learned it from that book?"

"…Yes."

"When you're done doin' whatever you're doin' I'm gonna have to bring that book back," the younger boy purred. "Assertiveness is _hot_."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Mokuba looked up as the blond wandered back into the bathroom, looking dazed but at the same time happy. "…Are you okay?"

Joey merely hummed and grabbed the book he'd set near the sink, walking back out in a daze.

"Um, Joey, I'm ready to get now. Joey? Joey, I'm turning into a prune. Joey? _Joey?_" He whined quietly as the blond shut the door behind him. "_Joey!_"

He heard talking and a muffled yelp before the black dragon rushed back into the bathroom and grabbed a towel, cheeks flushed in embarrassment. –At least, he hoped it was because of embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Mokuba!"

"It's okay. What were you thinking about, anyway-? Actually, you know what, no. Don't tell me."

Joey raised an eyebrow, then smirked. "Your brother's tongue."

"GAAAAAAAH I TOLD YOU NOT TO TELL MEEEEEEE!" Mokuba wailed.

When they began back into the bedroom, Joey swore he saw Seto smirk before he rolled so his back was facing them again. And he was surprisingly okay with that.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: This chapter seems kind of filler-y. It's okay, though, because it's something, right?

* * *

Chapter 10

Joey frowned and poked his mate's side. "Have you gained _any_ weight?"

Seto flinched. "Ow. I don't know. Maybe. Why are you poking me like that?"

"'cause I'm tryin' t' see if ya gained weight, skinny-minnie."

The brunet scowled at him. "I'm not skinny."

"You're skinny," the blond stated firmly.

Rolling his eyes, the older boy looked up at him with obvious annoyance. "Joey, I've been bedridden for a week with nothing to do but eat your soup, read my book, and take a bath. When you let me. Which is not often. I'm pretty sure that if I were skinny—_which I am not—_that I have certainly gained a few pounds."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Joey muttered, mostly to himself. He stroked the brunet's side for a moment, then smiled and leaned toward him.

Seto tilted his head up for a kiss and smiled as well, taking a playful nip at the blond's bottom lip. He reached up to dig his fingers into the black dragon's hair and whispered, "I can't wait to show you what I read about."

The blond couldn't help but smile bashfully. He was looking forward to it, too. He just wished he could get Mokuba out of the room. He was gaining weight much faster than his brother, but he was still listless most days. He didn't know what to do and Yugi had had no ideas either.

He wanted to follow his instincts and just smack the younger boy around until he bucked the fuck up, but he was certain that Seto would be quite displeased with that idea. He grimaced. He could imagine Seto being so displeased he might hit him back. Seto's punches could hurt.

…He'd punched him off of the bed when he'd tried to get his hand down his pants a few days ago when Mokuba was sleeping.

"…What's that expression for?" Seto asked after a moment, puzzled.

The blond laughed nervously. "Uh—how's your back?"

"…It's fine. Yugi said I should be able to be up and about now, even though my wings will ache from trying to stay still. I have to rebuild some of the muscle in them anyway." The white dragon narrowed his eyes skeptically. "…What was that face for?"

"Do you want some pancakes?"

Seto threw his hands up in frustration and turned to flop face-first into his pillow. "Agh!"

Joey frowned. "Ya don't want pancakes, then?"

"You're impossible."

"With eggs?"

"I can't believe you're doing this to me."

"I could make some bacon, too."

"Mates are supposed to share things."

"And tons of maple syrup?"

Seto heaved a sigh, then sat up, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. "That breakfast sounds nice." He paused, then slid his tail around the blond's waist and yanked him around to his lap. "Come here."

"Waugh!" The younger boy yelped and looked up at him in surprise, eyes wide. "Jeez!"

"…You've got a beautiful face," Seto stated after a moment, then leaned down to kiss him.

Joey mewed in surprise as he felt the brunet's hand digging into his hair and whimpered quietly, wrapping his arms around his neck as he arched against him. His toes curled when the white dragon's other hand slid down to claw at his scales, and he moaned loudly.

The brunet broke the kiss and smiled at him. "If you go make breakfast, I'll go get Mokuba out of the bathtub and we'll meet you in the kitchen. It'll probably take us a while, but that should be just enough time to get all of your cooking done."

The younger boy giggled quietly and pulled him down for another kiss, mewing in disappointment when the brunet broke it again. "Oh, alright, fine." He nuzzled his neck gently and sighed when he felt the white dragon's hands slide up and down his back. "Mm, so cold…"

"Too cold?" Seto asked in concern. "Maybe we could—"

"'m _fine_," Joey groaned. "Just impatient!" He poked the brunet's chest angrily. "Ya read that book and ya keep hinting at all of these wonderful things AND I WANT THEM and ya won't lemme have 'em because ya don't wanna disturb Mokuba!"

The white dragon paused. "…I suppose we have time to do something quickly—"

"I don't want some stupid quickie! I wanna be pampered, ya stupid jerk! This is my bed and I can't even have sex in it!"

Seto stared at him a moment before smiling a little. "I'll talk to Mokuba and we'll figure something out, okay?"

Joey couldn't bring himself to be mad when the brunet smiled at him like that. So he punched the pillows before he stood, grumbling to himself. "Asshole, bein' so sweet and nice I can't stay mad at ya. I hate when ya do that. Fuck you, I'm gonna go make some pancakes. THE BEST PANCAKES IN THE WORLD AND YOU WILL LIKE THEM."

The brunet watched him go, frowning. "…If they're the best pancakes in the world, why the hell wouldn't I like them?"

Joey paused in the doorway, then scowled and continued stomping out. "SHUT UP."

"…Well. Okay then." The white dragon blinked for a moment, then stood, grimacing when his wings twitched. He had to keep them still. He had to let them heal.

He took a deep breath before walking into the bathroom, pausing to lean in the doorway as he watched his brother play with a rubber toy he hadn't played with for years. He hadn't realized he still had that silly rubber duck until Joey had walked in with it, explaining that Mokuba had asked for it. Apparently he'd left it in the castle rather than take the embarrassing child's toy to his own den, for fear someone would find it and laugh.

Kneeling beside the tub, Seto took the rubber duck from his hands, frowning a little when the younger boy allowed it. He remembered when his brother was much younger, after their parents had died, and he'd give him baths. Mokuba had never let him take the yellow toy away.

"Mokuba."

Mokuba sighed, then slowly looked up at him. "Yeah?"

Seto's frown deepened. "You can't keep doing this."

The younger dragon sighed again. He sighed a lot now, the brunet noticed sadly. "…I just don't want to deal with this anymore, Seto."

The older boy sighed as well, brows furrowing together, then reached out to place his hand on top of his head. "Mokuba, I'm only going to say this once. Joey and I are giving you the chance to work through this here, where it's safe. If you don't, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave, and I really don't want to do that while you're in such a delicate state."

Mokuba had a split second to look up at him before the brunet gripped his hair tightly between his fingers and shoved his head under the water. "AGHBLRGHBLBLBLB!"

Seto held him down a few seconds longer before dragging him back up by the grip on his hair. As his brother coughed and spluttered and gasped, he stated, "As far as I'm concerned, this is just a visit. You moved out, disowned me, and made an apology that we both knew wasn't enough. Your possessions are still at your den, not here. Joey has been very patient, but you are keeping me from pleasing my mate and I would like to fulfill my duties as sire."

The younger boy continued to gasp, eyes red and watering from the soap in the water as he coughed a little. "Seto-!"

"You said you hated me. I said I forgave you, but we both know that it would take some time for me to actually feel like I'd forgiven you." Seto paused. "Close your eyes."

Mokuba only had a few seconds to do as he was told before he was shoved back under the water. When he came back up, gasping again, he felt his brother pouring something on his head. "Agh—Seto what—"

Seto began scrubbing his hair firmly, like he had when his brother had been a small child. "You're neglecting yourself. Even when Joey hated me, I didn't let myself get into such a sorry state that I didn't clean myself thoroughly. You smell. It makes it difficult to sleep next to you. Close your eyes."

He shoved the younger boy back under to rinse his hair, then pulled him back up, scowling. "Now will you clean yourself, or do I have to do _that_ for you, too?"

Mokuba looked up at him, brows furrowed together in confusion, but the brunet saw understanding beginning to dawn in his eyes. He hated that he had to be so rough with him, but there was no other way he'd buck up and learn better if he kept moping around.

He especially wouldn't learn if Seto kept letting him do it, either.

Seto cupped the younger boy's cheek and smiled sadly. "I can't fix this for you, Mokie. But I can help _you_ fix it yourself."

"…I just want my Other," the younger boy whispered, voice cracking. "She doesn't want anything to do with me. Why?"

"Joey was very good at holding a grudge. It would make sense that his sister would be very good at it also," the brunet replied. "Perhaps you can ask Joey how to get her to forgive you. I know she's never going to forgive _me,_ of course, but you had nothing to do with me at the time. …Quite literally, when all you wanted was your inheritance."

It was a low blow, but Seto was still hurting, and he wanted to make the younger boy understand at least a little of his pain. …Perhaps he was better at holding a grudge than he thought, too…

"…Would Joey help me after what I did to you?" Mokuba asked quietly, looking utterly defeated.

Seto reached out to stroke one of his wings, pleased to see that the lotion he and Joey had rubbed on them was starting to heal them. "The thing about Joey is… he's complicated. He's very good at holding a grudge, but… he will accept a sincere apology and forget about the whole thing."

The younger boy nibbled his bottom lip lightly. "…Do you think Serenity might be like that?"

"I wouldn't know. You'd have to ask Joey. I didn't exactly have time to get to know her," Seto added, rolling his eyes. Before his brother could flinch and back paddle frantically, he stated, "Joey's making pancakes, so hurry up and get clean. He's making bacon and eggs, too." He paused, then smiled a little and added, "With lots of maple syrup."

Mokuba couldn't help but smile as well when he saw the bashful expression on the brunet's face. He'd eat maple syrup on everything if he could. He wondered if Joey knew that, too.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Looking at all of the pancakes and bacon and eggs, the two brothers wondered if they'd actually taken that long in the bathroom or if they'd underestimated how good in the kitchen the blond was.

Joey placed his hands on his hips and glared at them. "Well? Are we eatin' or what?"

Seto helped his brother sit at the counter and sat down as well, immediately pulling the platter of pancakes over to pull a stack of six of them onto his plate. Then he covered the rest of his plate with scrambled eggs, placed several pieces of bacon on top of them, then grabbed the boat of syrup and began pouring it liberally onto his plate.

Joey and Mokuba watched in silence as the syrup became a puddle on the plate. Joey wondered if he should have given Seto a bowl for his food. Mokuba wondered if he should move over a little in case Seto got syrup everywhere; he'd just had a bath and didn't want to get all sticky.

The blond watched the older boy begin shoveling his breakfast into his mouth, shocked, before slowly turning his gaze on Mokuba's empty plate. After a moment, he reached over to slide two pancakes, a spoonful of eggs, and a few pieces of bacon onto it. "Here. Let's start with somethin' small for you."

"…Thanks."

Joey watched Mokuba pick up a spoon to cut his pancakes. He looked back at Seto, then sighed and narrowed his eyes at the two of them. The family he'd mated into was very weird.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Joey?"

"Yeah?" Joey asked, looking through some of the pictures in one of the Kama sutra books (unfortunately not the one Seto had read, because he was guarding it with his life so that he could surprise him). He liked the one when they were both using their mouths at the same time. He'd have to ask Seto about that one.

Mokuba frowned and began picking at a patch of scales on his tail. "…Do you think… Do you think that Serenity will ever forgive me?"

The blond lifted his hand to chew on one of his nails as he turned the page to find a position where the dominant partner thrust in between the submissive partner's crossed legs. That position looked really good, too… "What for?"

The younger boy blinked. "Well, she's mad at me—"

"No, she's mad at Seto. There's nothin' t' forgive ya for, and there's nothin' for ya t' apologize for. She's just bein' a ragin' bitch," the older boy stated calmly.

Mokuba frowned. "…Will she ever calm down?"

"She'll eventually get tired of me bein' mad and she'll come back and make some sort of half-hearted apology 'cause she thinks she's lookin' out for me." Ooh, that looked like a fun position, too! "And I'm not gonna accept it, which will get her _really_ mad. But she's been thinkin' it's her job t' take care of me for so long that she's gonna be really pissed when she realizes that I didn't share her opinion of herself. She's gonna be in for a rude awakening." He paused, wondering if Seto would like to hold one of his legs up with his tail when they did it.

"…I can't believe you're looking at a book about sex when you're talking about your sister," Mokuba muttered, half disgusted and half impressed by the blond's tenacity.

"You're lucky I'm even talkin' about my sister. I've been horny for the last few weeks and I'll be horny for the next few, too."

Joey frowned, trailing his fingertip over the paper. He and Seto had had a quickie hand session in the bathroom, and he was still warm from it, but… he really wanted a longer time with him, even if it was just hands and mouths. He wanted time to touch and be touched without worrying if Mokuba could hear them or if he'd walk in on them. He wanted to make love with Seto instead of get just a quick hand job. He wanted to look into the brunet's eyes and feel that connection with him.

He slapped the book shut, blushing a little. He was being selfish. Mokuba had almost _died_ and he was worried about sex.

Standing up, he brushed himself off before looking up at the younger boy and smiling awkwardly. "Well. I need t' go see Yug' for some more of that stuff t' put on Seto's wings. Help him outta the bath if he needs it, okay? He shouldn't, 'cause it's just his wings, but if he does… You've gotten a lot better. You can get him out." He reached over to ruffle his brother-in-law's hair, then set the book on the bedside table.

Mokuba watched him go, lifting his hand to idly fix his hair before his lips twitched into an affectionate smile. Joey was a good person. He was a great match for his brother. He was glad that he found his Other to compliment him.

After a few minutes of mindlessly finger-combing his hair, he stood up and walked toward the bathroom, knocking three times on the hard wood of the door. "Seto?"

"Come in."

Mokuba opened the door and couldn't help a smile when he saw his brother scrubbing his hair with a bored expression. Seto had always been the epitome of a lazy bachelor and cooking and cleaning himself had never really been something he cared about, since he hadn't actively wanted a mate. He looked kind of cute when he was going through the motions like this for his mate.

Seto paused to glance at him when he didn't say anything. "…Yeeeeessss?"

The younger boy jumped a little; he hadn't realized he'd just been standing their smiling like an idiot for so long. "Oh." He opened his mouth to continue, but had to sigh in frustration when his brother took that moment to duck under the water, rinsing his hair out.

The brunet resurfaced and slicked his hair back, then turned to look up at him, raising an eyebrow. "Alright, what?"

"Do you think Joey would let me leave?" Mokuba asked, surprising himself. He'd wanted to say he was leaving, that he'd been imposing on them for too long, but then he remembered Joey ruffling his hair and he'd felt so… warm. He didn't want to upset Joey.

Seto stared at him for a moment before reaching out for the rubber duck he'd set aside. He flung it at the younger boy and smirked when it bounced off of his head because he was too stunned to react. "He'd be torn if you asked him. He wants you out, but he also wants to take care of you. If you tell him instead of giving him a choice, it won't leave him feeling so unsure and guilty for whatever he chooses. Think about this carefully."

The younger boy watched him sink under the water again before coming back up with a bar of soap. He walked over to help him scrub his back. "If I left… could I come visit you? Would that be okay?"

"I'm sure he'd love it. I hadn't realized how bored Joey was." The brunet frowned. Joey really liked taking care of them. He almost didn't want to return to his duties as sire. "He seems like a very social person. I'm sure he doesn't like being cooped up here all the time. Having visitors would be nice for him."

Mokuba heard his brother's unspoken concern. _'I'm probably the worst mate he could have ever gotten. I'm so boring. How has he put up with me this long?'_

Scrubbing the brunet's back with a washcloth and soap, he sighed. "Seto, Joey adores you. He made you a breakfast where you could put syrup on _everything._ I bet if you'd asked, he'd have given you a bowl of syrup and a straw."

"…I think he still gets a little disappointed with me sometimes," Seto muttered.

The younger boy knew he couldn't be swayed when he was being stubborn, so he simply sighed and rolled his eyes. "Alright. I think I'll stay a few more days, just to eat some more of Joey's food, and then I'll head back to my den. I'll visit every week."

It was more than he'd done before he'd disowned him, the brunet mused with a sad smile. He sighed and nodded. "Alright. I'll find a mattress… somewhere for you…"

Mokuba paused, frowning. "…But… if Joey had his own room when you first mated, where did you-?"

"I slept on that old mattress that Mom and Dad kept around for Grandma's back problem. I'd actually forgotten we still had it until I stumbled across it when I was trying to make Joey's room nice." He grimaced. "I won't make you sleep on that."

The younger boy tilted his head, frowning. "I guess I could always bring my mattress when I came to visit…"

"No, I should get another one anyway." Seto sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'll worry about it later."

Mokuba smiled a little as the brunet muttered to himself about mattresses and bird down. "Okay. …Seto?"

"I suppose I could go find someone who could… Yes, Mokuba?"

"…Are we… okay now?"

Seto looked up at him and raised an eyebrow, then sighed and turned to look down at the water. "…Yes. Yes, Mokie, I think we're okay now." He jumped a little as the younger boy threw his arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, body trembling with small sobs. "Wha—Why are you crying?! What did I do?!"

"You didn't do anything, Seto. It was all that I did." Mokuba knew his brother didn't understand when he felt the brunet's wet arms wrap around his back, fingers slowly tracing the bases of his wings because that's what their parents used to do. Seto was a much better person than he gave him credit for, and he was a horrible brother for just leaving him on his own and expecting him to be okay.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey walked over to the brunet and slapped some salve on the bases of his wings.

Seto immediately yelped and turned to snarl at him. "WHY DO YOU INSIST ON DOING THAT?!"

"'cause ya scared me when ya did this t' yourself and it pissed me off because you're so stupid so FUCK YOU I'll do what I want!" the blond snapped back, glaring at him. After a moment, he sighed and sagged on top of him, nuzzling into his neck as he slid his arms over his shoulders.

The older boy frowned and wrapped his arms around his waist. "Are you okay?"

"…I'm just so tired…"

Seto tilted his head to begin kissing the black dragon's neck, stroking his spine lightly before he pushed him back and looked at his face. "So go to sleep."

"I should make dinner for you guys first—" the blond muttered, rubbing his eyes. "I could make somethin' just real quick—WAUGH!" He yelped as a grip on the back of his head shoved him down face first into a pillow.

Seto kept him shoved down on the bed for several moments until the blond relaxed. "We're fine. Aren't we, Mokuba?"

Mokuba stared at him, surprised, then smiled brightly. "Yeah! We're fine, Joey! Breakfast was really filling today!"

Joey grumbled and slapped the brunet's side weakly until he was let up, taking a deep breath that didn't smell like feathers. "…Fine. If you insist."

"I insist," the older boy stated firmly.

His brother leaned in and grinned. "And if Seto didn't insist, I'd insist!"

Joey glanced back and forth between them and sighed, the corner of his mouth twitching into a tired smile. "Alright. Goodnight then." He giggled a little when the brunet smoothed his hair up so he could kiss his forehead and grabbed his hand, curling around his waist and nuzzling into his stomach. "'specially you, Seto. Ya deserve a good night."

Seto tilted his head and raised an eyebrow as the blond drifted to sleep, then looked up at his brother. "I deserve it?"

"Sometimes you have nightmares," Mokuba explained, shrugging. "I try to tell him that you don't ever remember them in the morning, but he still worries."

"I see." Seto looked down at his mate and couldn't help a smile at how sweet he was. He kissed the top of his head and reached down to scratch the tip of one of his wings.

Mokuba watched his brother with his mate and couldn't help a smile of his own. They were so good together. He was just sorry they'd started off on the wrong foot—and he was especially sorry that he hadn't been there to help his brother when he needed him the most.

He watched the brunet lean back against the headboard of the bed and doze so he didn't have to disturb the blond by lying down. They were a good match. He hoped to be as happy as they were someday, too.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: So much filler! OTL Guys, I think we're finally getting somewhere here?!

* * *

Chapter 11

Seto waved as his brother turned for one last look at them before continuing to his den. He missed him already. He had promised to come back every week for dinner with them, but he missed him, because he wasn't the child he'd raised anymore; he was an adult. …More or less.

He hummed as he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist, then purred, lifting his tail to trail the tip over the blond's ticklish side.

Joey yelped. "Eek! Seto!"

Seto turned and nuzzled his shoulder, purring a little louder as he lifted his hands to dig his fingers into his hair. "The book said telling you exactly what I'm going to do to you can help, too, so we're both prepared. Would you like that?"

"Yesss," the blond moaned, nuzzling his chest as he pressed up against him. "Yes, please…!"

"Well, first, I thought…" The older boy paused as he glanced the blond up and down, then sighed, frowning. "I thought I'd make you a nice chicken dinner."

Joey looked up at him, scowling. "Seto."

"And then I'd draw a nice hot bath for you and put the soap in it that makes it foam up."

"_Seto._"

"…And then I'd stroke your hair until you fall asleep."

Joey whined angrily. "Seto, why would ya get my hopes up like that?!"

Seto reached out to run his thumb over the blond's cheek gently. "Joey, if you looked in a mirror, you'd know."

"Looked in a mirror for what, asshole?!"

The brunet rolled his eyes and sighed, then slid his arms under the younger boy's knees and back. "Let me show you."

"Lemme go! Gah! After ya did that shit-! Let me go what are ya doin' leave me alone I was so excited and—" He yelped as he was set down in front of a full-length mirror and shoved at his mate angrily, scowling. Seto snarled and grabbed his chin to jerk his head around so he had to look at his reflection.

Joey hissed, but then paused, actually taking a moment to look at himself. He immediately sagged, defeated. If he was Seto, he wouldn't want to have sex either. It was almost embarrassing.

He'd run himself ragged trying to care for Seto and Mokuba. He'd been so busy feeding them and trying to get them to gain weight that he'd forgotten to make decent meals for himself. He'd been so busy making sure that they were clean and comfortable that he hadn't taken the time to bathe, instead just quickly wiping himself down with a washcloth and washing his hair in the sink. He'd been so busy making sure they rested that he'd rarely slept more than he had to.

He looked awful. He had light blue bruises under his eyes that he hadn't even noticed until his mate had made him look at himself. He was thin—thinner than he had been before Seto had hurt himself—and he could tell some of his bones were sticking out more than they usually did. He was covered in smudges from herbs and smoke from the fire and he realized with a start that while he enjoyed taking care of his mate, he really needed someone to take care of him, too. He had to admit that even though he'd never used the word before, this was truly the embodiment of the word 'haggard.'

"…Oh."

Seto cupped his chin and drew his head up for a light kiss. "I'm sorry."

"I didn't know I looked so awful," Joey muttered, frowning. "And I was really lookin' forward to…"

"I know." The brunet nuzzled his neck gently, then carefully scooped him up again, sighing as the black dragon laid his head on his shoulder. "But after you get some rest, maybe we could…" He shook his head quickly, because now that Joey saw how bad he looked, he seemed exhausted by it. He sighed and carried him into the kitchen, placing him on one of the stools there. "Tomorrow. I'll definitely show you tomorrow."

Joey sighed and let his head fall onto the counter with a loud thump.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey stared at the foamy bath tub, then sighed. He looked up at the brunet and smiled sadly. "Thanks for the dinner, Seto. 'nd the bath. You're a good mate."

Seto reached out to grab his pants and pull them down, then slipped his arms beneath his knees and back again, kissing his neck softly. It seemed as soon as he'd finished eating, his exhaustion had come to the fore. He hadn't even been able to walk to the bathroom without leaning on him. "You're a good mate, too." He carefully set the younger boy in the water, then dug the tips of his fingers lightly into the back of his neck.

"Uhn, Seto…! That hurts so good!" the blond moaned, tilting his head back a little.

The older boy hesitated a minute before shedding his own pants and climbing into the tub as well. It was a tight fit, but then the blond curled his legs around him, drawing him closer. He couldn't help but think it was cozy instead of tight now, and he liked that. Somehow, it felt even more intimate than when he touched him to keep him warm.

Joey smiled as the brunet slid his hands over his legs. "Feels good."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Seto smiled a little and grabbed a bar of soap to lather his hands with, then began running his hands over the blond's left leg, starting at his ankle and running down over his feet before sliding back up to rub his calves. He moved his hands up the younger boy's thigh, frowning a little when he moaned and twitched his legs open wider, then turned to give the same attention to his other leg.

Joey dug his teeth into his bottom lip in disappointment, but he knew he was tired. Seto probably thought he might be pushing some boundaries by touching him like that when he was so tired, and he had to admit that he probably wouldn't enjoy it as much as he would if he were well-rested. He sighed, unable to help his lips quirking into a smile as the brunet's hands moved up to his hips. He had the best mate.

"I love you."

Seto jumped, jerking his hands back quickly. "What? What?!"

The blond raised an eyebrow. "I said 'I love you.'"

"…Oh."

"What did you think I said?" Joey asked, tilting his head.

The brunet blushed a little. "Oh. I… I wasn't really listening, so I thought maybe you'd told me to stop."

"No, I liked what you were doin'. I was sayin' 'I love you,' ya weirdo."

"Oh." Seto paused awkwardly, then lathered his hands up again to continue cleaning him. "I love you too."

Joey smiled, purring quietly as the brunet's hands slid around his waist to scrub his back all the way up to his shoulder blades. He hummed quietly and slid his arms around the brunet's neck to hug him gently. "Mmm, that's nice…"

The older boy smiled a little and slid his hands up to scrub his shoulders, then slid his arms around further to hug him. "I'm sorry we didn't get to do—"

"'s okay. This… this is nice," the blond cut in, smiling a little. _'I think it's almost better than sex. And if it weren't winter, it __**definitely**__ would be.'_

Seto turned his head to nuzzle his neck, smiling, then pushed him back and soaped his hands up again before rubbing them over the blond's chest and the front of his shoulders. He paused at his shoulders for a moment, then slid his other hand over to slip down the blond's right arm. He was much more careful with his arms, and once he got closer to his hand, he leaned down to kiss the tip of each of his fingers.

Joey blushed a little, biting his bottom lip again. _'Oh, no, this is definitely better than sex.'_ When Seto turned to give his other arm the same attention, kisses and all, he melted, because even though he'd been looking forward to sex, this was much better.

It was even better when the brunet lifted him out of the tub and began to rub him dry with a towel. "Seto, I can do it myself—"

"I don't care. I'm doing it."

Joey smiled and reached out to wrap his arms around the brunet's neck, hooking his legs around his hips to press up against him. "Mm. Seto, you're the best."

Seto blushed a little and leaned back. "I—"

"And I'm not sayin' that 'cause I'm hopin' you'll still have sex with me t'night. I'm tired. I just wanted ya t' know," the younger boy added quietly.

The brunet tilted his head, then chuckled a little and wrapped the towel around him. "You're pretty great, too, Joey, putting up with me."

"Yeah. I guess I am," the blond teased, and couldn't help a shrill shriek when the older boy retaliated by tickling him. "Seto wait please agh!"

Seto leaned in to nip his neck and chuckled again, then picked him up gently and carried him back to the bedroom. "At least now you'll be able to recover a little." He placed him on the bed and smiled a little, reaching up to brush his damp hair out of his eyes. "Get well-rested and maybe I'll show you some of the things I read."

"I don't know what this 'maybe' bullshit is, because you're doin' it when I feel better and I'm not takin' 'no' for an answer," Joey informed him firmly.

The brunet sighed, then smiled a little. "Alright. I really didn't think I could get away with letting you rest longer anyway."

"I don't wanna get too cold…" the blond whispered, blushing a little and looking down at his lap. He realized he might make the older boy upset by saying it and looked up, quickly adding, "I'm not cold now—we did it recently enough and the days are gettin' longer, so I'm settlin' down, but… I don't know how long it'll last."

Seto cupped his cheek and kissed him lightly, unable to help a smile. "Don't worry. You said I was the best, after all."

"Yeah, you are," Joey cooed, reaching up to cup his cheeks. "You are the best, Seto."

The brunet leaned his forehead against the younger boy's and sighed, smiling a little. "You are, too. I couldn't have found a better mate." He paused, then leaned in closer to brush their lips together.

"Mmm, Seto…" He curled his fingers into his hair and sighed, lifting his legs to wrap around him again. "Mm…"

Seto broke the kiss and brushed his thumb against the blond's damp bottom lip, smiling a little. "You're beautiful."

Joey blushed a little. "Seto, quit it! You're makin' me blush!"

"You look great when you're blushing. Do it more often."

"…I can't just blush at the drop of a hat."

"Learn to," Seto teased, then kissed him again before tucking him carefully under the blankets. "Go to sleep."

"Mm." Joey cupped his cheeks and drew him down for another kiss, smiling. "Only 'cause I really am tired."

"How kind of you." The brunet brushed his hair out of eyes. "Sleep well."

"Mmr…"

Seto watched him drift to sleep, then sighed and stood, cupping his cheek for one last moment, then turned and walked out of the room. He needed to clean the kitchen; he made terrible messes when he cooked. Joey never had that problem. Perhaps he'd could figure out a system, or… or get Joey to teach him, or…

…Or maybe they could trade off sometimes. Joey had enjoyed cooking for him while he'd been injured. He enjoyed cooking for Joey. Maybe they could trade some days. Joey might like that.

Seto smiled to himself as he walked into the kitchen, gathering all of the used dishes and setting them in the sink. He pumped some water into it and poured some soap in, then began to scrub them, glad that he was finally able to _do_ something. He'd been forced to stay in bed so long that he was actually_ enjoying_ doing the dishes, and he normally hated doing them.

He tilted his head as he heard a knock at the door. He wondered who it could be. It couldn't be Mokuba; he only had enough energy to get home before he needed to rest. Maybe it was Yami. Yugi had said that he was going to try and come make amends. He smiled a little. He and Yami butted heads more often than not, but they were family, and Yugi had mellowed him out.

…Sort of.

Seto paused thoughtfully, then shrugged, setting the dishes back in the sink and wiping his hands on a towel as he made his way to the door. He would have hurried, but the skin of his back was still tight from healing and his wings ached when he brushed them against walls or doorways. He couldn't put his eagerness ahead of his health, especially after all Joey had done for him.

He paused at the door, wondering how to greet his cousin, then figured he'd let Yami go first and wing it from there. He grabbed the latch and pulled the door open, having to use a little more effort than he usually did because wow, he didn't realize how much he used his back to do that. He should probably stop that. Doing things with your back could strain it, and Joey would probably tease him about it if he wrenched his back wrong.

Seto blinked when he wasn't immediately accosted by his cousin in a tearful, manly embrace. He blanched when he recognized his mate's sister and lurched backward. "AGH."

Serenity glared up at him balefully. "…Is Joey here?"

He almost wanted to scamper up and get his mate just so he didn't want to deal with her. But Joey had been in such bad shape, so tired… And she'd probably only have bad things to say about his skills in keeping his mate healthy, anyway.

Joey had just gotten to sleep. He couldn't wake him so soon. "He's sleeping."

She scowled. "Well, go wake him up!"

Seto's jaw dropped slightly at the way she'd ordered him. He couldn't help but glare back at her. "If I had been so inclined to do so before, I am certainly not now. He is exhausted; I am not going to wake him up. Come back later."

"I want to see him!" she snapped, wings flaring out threateningly. "So I know you're not keeping him locked up against his will-!"

"_No._ I am not. Come. _Back._ LATER," he snarled, glaring at her, then slammed the door in her face even as she screeched at him. He kept his hand on the door for a minute, just in case she tried to force her way in, but instead he heard her wings beating as she left.

That was comforting. At least she didn't barge in, because he would have been within his rights to throw her back out (and perhaps rough her up a little). He didn't think he could have, though, because Joey still loved his sister and he didn't want to make him angry, even though he had sent her away before.

Seto sighed, wings wilting with exhaustion. He hadn't been this tired when he'd gone to answer the door. Actually, he'd been kind of excited.

…Happy, even.

He flinched a little at the thought. It had been a long time since everything had gone well and he'd been excited for company. And now he just felt so… so disappointed, and…

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey grunted in affront as he felt something sharp dig into his side. "Mrgh."

"Sorry."

"'s it time t' get up?"

"No. Sorry I woke you."

"Mrh. Cuddles." The blond muttered some more under his breath, but it was too quiet to hear. He rolled over onto his stomach and crawled almost on top of him. "Mm."

Seto wrapped his arms around him tighter, being careful not to knick him with his claws this time, and buried his face in his neck. "'m sorry."

Joey hummed and nuzzled against his neck, then frowned, sitting up a little. "Seto, everything okay?"

The brunet smiled up at him. Even when he was exhausted, he could tell something was wrong and wanted to comfort him.

He didn't feel so badly anymore.

Seto curled his hand around the back of his head and drew him back down to lay his head on his chest again. "Everything is fine. Go back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you up."

Joey blinked slowly, eyes still glazed with sleep. "Y' sure?"

"Go back to sleep," the brunet repeated quietly.

The younger boy sighed and let his eyes drift closed. "'kay, if ya say so." He smiled a little as he felt the fingers still in his hair curl, carding through it gently, and turned his head to brush his lips over his chest gently. "Seto, go t' sleep."

Seto couldn't help but smile a little as he pressed a kiss to the blond's forehead. "Okay." When he felt his mate's head tuck up against his neck, he sighed and finally let his eyes drift closed.

Joey smiled as he felt the brunet's heart slow beneath his hand and nuzzled closer, then sighed. He knew something was up. Seto had clearly been upset when he'd come in—even more so when he'd accidentally clawed him—and he really wanted to ask, but Seto hadn't wanted to answer, so he wasn't going to push him. At least, not right now.

He'd ask in the morning, though, even if he had to do it while Seto was groggy. He was going to get to the bottom of this. He just hoped Seto would let him instead of fighting it tooth and nail, insisting on being a good mate by keeping his feelings to himself. He was starting to open up, but just when Joey thought that they might be making progress, he'd close up again, terrified that he'd do something wrong.

But he'd continue to coax him out. He had to be patient, after what Seto had been through, and Seto still had no idea what the hell he was doing some days. That was one of the most attractive things about him, though; he didn't know what he was doing most of the time, but he winged it and still managed to do okay.

Joey just had to show him that he wouldn't get angry if he messed up. Frustrated, maybe, even irritated—but not angry. Seto would learn it was okay to screw up eventually, that it was okay to be wrong and have to apologize, that Joey wasn't going to just start hating him again if he did something wrong. Until then, he would continue to stand by him and love him, even when he frustrated and irritated him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Serenity pressed the tips of her fingers to the window and frowned as she watched her brother cuddle up to the brunet. No, 'cuddle' didn't cover it; he was smothering him. With his body. He had rolled on top of him and was shoving his head under his chin and _forcing_ him to cuddle whether he liked it or not, even though the idiot had woke him up, had _hurt_ him with his claws—

And Joey didn't even care. The asshole had woken him up with his _claws_ and Joey had forgiven him instantly. He didn't even get _mad._

…He looked so… happy, there, curled up on his mate's chest. Like he didn't hold their mating against him. Like he didn't even remember it.

She nibbled her bottom lip for a few moments, then turned, spreading her wings and leaping from the windowsill. She had a lot to think about before she returned again.


End file.
